New bacterial species discovered aboard Tiangong Space Station by Chinese scinetists
Chinese researchers have found a new, previously unknown bacteria species on the Tiangong Space Station, a Chinese modular space station in low Earth orbit. These findings are recorded in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. The discovery has been formally named as Niallia tiangongensis. These findings were made from the microbial samples collected from multiple surfaces across the space station during the Shenzhou 15 mission, which landed on Earth in June 2023.
Characterized as aerobic, spore-forming and rod-shaped, these bacteria are genetically close to Niallia circulans, a terrestrial strain, this space-borne bacterium shows several different mutations. These differences, say the scientists, contain potential for further developing the knowledge of microbial life outside Earth.
One notable trait of Niallia tiangongensis is its ability to hydrolyse gelatin, a biochemical process that could prove advantageous in nutrient-scarce settings. The bacterium further demonstrates specialized structural and functional divergence within two proteins crucial to biofilm development, defense against oxidative stress, and repair from radiation damage. These characteristics indicate special adaptations that can allow the organism to survive in space, where one is exposed to continuous bombardment by toxic radiation, microgravity, and scarce resources with which to fight survival.
Although it is the first such discovery on Tiangong, it is not unusual. Bacterial experiments on the International Space Station already have yielded new bacterial isolates, some of which will come in handy for future efforts to grow food on Mars. Even within the spotless walls of NASA clean rooms, places intended to be nearly microbe-free, researchers recently discovered 26 new species of bacteria.
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Man held for rape, assault of elderly woman in Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): A 20-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping and assaulting an 85-year-old woman and abandoning her on the roadside in this district, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place under Venjaramoodu police station limit on Wednesday evening.
Agin, a lottery agent, was apprehended on Friday, they said.
According to police, the elderly woman was taken into a deserted building by the accused, raped, brutally beaten with a stick, causing injuries, and was later abandoned on the roadside.
Locals noticed the woman with severe head and facial injuries and rushed her to a nearby hospital, from where she was shifted to the government medical college later.
Though initially injuries suggested that she was brutally beaten up by someone, a detailed medical examination confirmed the rape.
Based on the statement of the woman and some local vendors in the area, the police identified the accused and nabbed him later.
"As per the statement of his family, he is suspected of having a mental disorder and the habit of committing such assaults following an accident. An investigation is on," a police officer said.
He was remanded to judicial custody by a local court and the woman was discharged from hospital, police added.
