Carlos Velazquez

This is a true report that is straight out of science fiction.

The weightlessness of the ISS has allowed a microbe being studied to mutate into a "superbug" whatever that means.

"It’s a startling find straight out of the dark depths of sci-fi horror: Aboard the International Space Station, NASA discovered 13 strains of a superbug, a multidrug-resistant bacterium. Its name? Enterobacter bugandensis."

Sci-fi horror bug discovered on International Space Station
fox8.com

Tim adds:

Fascinating. I supposed it was bound to happen; the station is a contained space with all sorts of unoccupied biological niches and extra radiation to help drive mutations.

The station was badly infected with e-coli just a year or so ago and if they wiped all the e-coli out by sanitizing the station they left it open for a new bacterium to take over. It really wan't a matter of if but when.

I've long considered this; as Man moves into space the microorganisms will undoubtedly mutate. Different space habitats will probably become quite insular as they limit tourism to avoid upsetting the careful biological balance they have. In time it may become impossible for normal human interaction between colonies.

S-F writer Isaac Asimov touched on this with the quarantine of Earth by the "Spacers" in his Elijah Bailey novels.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 09:34 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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