CCTV News: China Manned Space Engineering Office released a news report that recently, scientific researchers announced for the first time a new microbial species discovered in my country's space station and named it "Nilium celestialis". How was Neilia in the Heavenly Palace discovered? We also need to turn the pointer of time back to 2023. During the Shenzhou 15 astronauts' crew in orbit, what experiments did they conduct at Space Home at that time?
This discovery of new microbial species was achieved with the support of the space station engineering aerospace technology experimental project. The research team focused on the dynamic changes and safety control of environmental microorganisms during the long-term operation of my country's space stations, and designed multi-batch, full-section, and panoramic residence cabin microbial monitoring tasks.
In May 2023, the Shenzhou 15 astronaut crew used sterile sampling wipes to collect and store microorganisms on orbit on the inner surface of the space station cabin. After the downward trend, after ground experiment analysis, researchers discovered a brand new microbial species - Neil Saccharomyces. The study used multidisciplinary methods such as morphological observation, genome sequencing, phylogenetic analysis and metabolic analysis to finally confirm this unique species.
Nilium Tiangong: a "hexagonal warrior" adapted to the space environment
Scientific researchers also found that Neil Tiangong, a "space resident" that people cannot see with their naked eyes, also has many excellent "survival skills", which can be called the "hexagonal warrior" in the microbial world.
The Neils found this time is a Gram-positive spore-producing bacteria, affiliated to the genus Conil. Compared with the closest species, Neils in Tiangong has excellent performance in adapting to the spatial environment: First, Neils in Tiangong has excellent "compression resistance" ability, and accurately responds to oxidative stress in the spatial environment by regulating the biosynthesis of bacillus thiol. This mechanism maintains the redox balance in the cells and ensures that it can grow stably under extreme conditions. Second, Neil Ace of the Heavenly Palace shows unique characteristics in biological film formation and radiation damage repair. These abilities are combined to help it become a "hexagonal warrior" who can adapt to the spatial environment.
