E-Magazine: Bacteria Out of This World - A Casual Look at Microorganisms in Space

Bacteria Out of This World - A Casual Look at Microorganisms in Space

Introduction

A few years ago, NASA announced their plans to put humans on Mars.

I remember hearing about the news at the time and wondering that in the event this mission is successful and we do get a bunch of humans on Mars, what are they going to eat?

Yes they can bring food from Earth, and yes they can preserve that food for years at a time, but if we are to sustain long-term life on a planet or satellite, we need food. Food that can naturally be regenerated without us making trips back and forth to the mother planet.

So what’s the solution? Plants. They’re reasonable because studies already show that soil from Mars has some of the necessary nutrients for plant growth. They are small enough to be transported in large and diverse amounts (i.e seeds) and they produce oxygen! I mean it sounds foolproof, but often when we think of plant growth we only think of the basic “put seed in soil, water seed, seed grow” model when there is, quite literally, more than what is on the surface.

Underneath the soil, millions of tiny colonies of microorganisms are making symbiotic deals with the organs of the roots of plants and they are almost essential for proper and healthy growth.

So with that, my question slowly transformed from “what are they going to eat” into “how are they going to sustain life with life?”

Plants and Microbes: A Symbiotic Partnership

You can't fight fire with fire so how in the world are you supposed to grow life with life? Well it turns out that it might not be as hard as we think.

Let's go back to 7th grade Life Science for a second. Symbiotic relationships play a big role in almost everything especially plant growth. The rhizosphere (rai·zuh·sfeer) or the microbiome that is located at the roots of plants is where many microorganisms engage in symbiotic relationships with plant organs. Through these interactions, microorganisms are supplying nutrients and making nutrients available for these plants to absorb. Kind of like fertilizer.

In fact, microorganisms are being looked at as the prime contenders to replace chemical fertilizers as biofertilizers. Chemical fertilizers can destroy soil’s nutrient content and even cause plant diseases while biofertilizers do the exact opposite all the while decreasing global warming.

They’re absolutely incredible, but what's even more incredible is the fact that some of these biofertilizer microorganisms can withstand the low gravity conditions of space and be used the same way on other planets as they are used on Earth.

Intergalactic Bacteria?

A few weeks ago, NASA announced in a press release that three new strains of bacteria were found on plants growing in the International Space Station (ISS). It turned out that what this bacteria meant for future space exploration plans was a little more spectacular than the bacteria themselves.

The strains derived from the family Methylobacteriaceae (meh-tha-low-back-teer-ee-ay-see-ay) which was even more amazing because strains from this family are known to fortify plant life, protect plants from pathogens and are even being looked at as possible contenders to replace chemical fertilizers.

What's even cooler about these bacteria are the fact that they can carry out an extremely useful process called nitrogen fixation. This process is pretty similar to photosynthesis where these Methylotrophs take nitrogen from the air and “fixate” it into a more useful form of nitrogen, such as ammonia that plants can use as nutrients. Because strains of Methylobacteriaceae have been found in the ISS, this means that there are bacteria out there that can adjust to strange gravitational conditions of space and possibly other planets. So with the help of microbes that have potential properties of biofertilizers like Methylobacteriaceae, we can begin to start a small ranch on the red dust of Mars.

Mars’ Micro Medicine

As we venture into a deeper understanding of space and microorganisms alike, it's possible that starting a small ranch will become an ever more likely feat. Along with the potential to start large scale farms across the sands of Mars, we also have the potential to develop medicines and treatments for diseases on the planet as well.

To be frank, no one is an absolute expert on Mars, so we have no idea what kind of diseases you can contract by living there for a long period of time. If we are actually going to have a group of humans on a strange planet, we need doctors, scientists, and healthcare workers to study, treat, and spread awareness about these diseases.

These treatments can come in the form of microorganisms adjusted to the gravitational conditions of other planets. Just like on Earth, we can manipulate microorganisms into producing medicines for us, and if we end up discovering Martian bacteria during our visit, these microorganisms can help us find a way to develop antibiotics to protect from any alien infections.

Although Methylobacteriaceae wouldn’t be much help in terms of the production of medicine--and even has a history of contaminating the water supply of various hospitals--it can still possibly serve as one of scientists go-to microorganisms for experimentation. Just like how E. Coli is constantly being experimented on as a result of its versatility and shared characteristics with a variety of microorganisms, Methylobacteriaceae could be the E. Coli of space.

I think that it is extremely important to take note of the medicinal possibilities of space exploration as we test out other planets as possible homes. These possibilities can lead to full blown careers which could have the potential to be some of the coolest jobs in our solar system! I mean imagine being one of the first healthcare workers running a small hospital-like facility in space? Pretty awesome am I right?

Chillin on Mars

Because of microorganisms we could start a society on Mars and personally I think that’s absolutely spectacular. Just imagine the amount of new careers, systems, and ways of life that can be created from breaking this interplanetary barrier! I can see spaceship navigators, martian botanists studying the plant mutations as a result of their new environment, doctors, new medicines from the rocks, sands of the plant, martian architects, and more! Reaching Mars through space exploration will soon be one of the biggest landmarks of scientific history and with the projection that the mission to Mars will be carried out in 2030, it is crazy to think that this achievement could be reached in less than a century away from the first man on the moon.

So my question to you is: Would you live on Mars?

If you want to talk more about this with me, reach out to me through my socials or email me. I’d be happy to chat about space microbes and missions to other planets, answer any questions you have about HOSA and if that’s not your thing, we can just talk! Don’t be a stranger!

Instagram: @chiara.chie

Email: Regionrep.1@georgiahosa.org

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