26 new bacterial species in NASA cleanrooms to hold clues to space survival

The study, published in the journal Microbiome, highlights the importance of rigorous contamination control to prevent unintentional microbial transfer during space missions.

Cleanrooms are highly specialised facilities engineered to maintain exceptionally low levels of dust and microorganisms. Spacecraft are assembled in cleanrooms.

These unknown and newly described species carry genetic traits associated with resilience to extreme environments such as those found in space, and may hold clues to space survival and biotech, said the team.

While the controlled environments have tightly regulated airflow, temperature, and humidity that inhibit microbial survival, some microorganisms -- extremophiles -- thrive in such environments.

"Our study aimed to understand the risk of extremophiles being transferred in space missions and to identify which microorganisms might survive the harsh conditions of space," said lead researcher Professor Alexandre Rosado, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

"This effort is pivotal for monitoring the risk of microbial contamination and safeguarding against unintentional colonisation of exploring planets," Rosado said.

In the study, the scientists did a comprehensive analysis of the microorganisms growing in the NASA cleanrooms during the Phoenix mission -- a NASA-led mission that launched a lander to Mars in 2007.

During the Phoenix spacecraft mission, genomes of 215 bacterial isolates were sequenced and based on overall genome-related indices, 53 strains belonging to 26 novel species were recognised.

The team found that many of the new species possessed genes that made them resilient to decontamination and radiation.

Some of the discovered genes were associated with DNA repair, the detoxification of harmful molecules, and improved metabolism, all of which increased the species' survivability.

Moreover, these genes could lead to new biotechnologies that benefit food preservation and medicine," said Junia Schultz, a postdoctoral fellow at KAUST.

Schultz noted that the genes identified in these newly discovered bacterial species can be engineered for applications in medicine, food preservation, and other industries.