mo4ch:>Life finds a way: Microbes on ISS mutating to survive the void of space | Mo4ch News

Good news for future astronauts and budding space tourists alike: spacebound microbes aren’t mutating into the humanity-threatening, antibiotic-resistant superbug form as many had previously feared.A new study by researchers at Northwestern University found that microbes on board the ISS mutated different genes than their Earthbound counterparts, either as part of natural selection or a possible mutation.“There has been a lot of speculation about radiation, microgravity and the lack of ventilation and how that might affect living organisms, including bacteria,”said Northwestern’s Erica Hartmann, who led the study.Also on rt.comMutant superbugs menace future space station expeditions – NASA“These are stressful, harsh conditions. Does the environment select for superbugs because they have an advantage? The answer appears to be ‘no.’”Hartmann is an assistant professor of environmental engineering in Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering. Her work investigated how bacterial life …