Сансрын станц дахь бичил биетүүд сансрын нисгэгчдийн өдөр тутмын үйл ажиллагаатай нягт холбоотой тархалттай болохыг эрдэмтэд тогтоожээ.
Калифорнийн их сургууль, Сан-Диего болон NASA-гийн Тийрэлтэт хөдөлгөөний лабораторийн (JPL) судлаачид Олон улсын сансрын станцын (ISS) есөн модулийн 803 өөр гадаргуугаас дээж авч, анхны 3D зураглалыг бүтээжээ. Судалгаагаар бичил биетүүд жингүйдлийн нөхцөлд санамсаргүй тархахгүйгээр, Дэлхий дээрх ахуйн орчны нэгэн адил хүний үйл ажиллагаанаас хамаарсан тодорхой хэв шинжийг бүрдүүлдэг болохыг илрүүлсэн байна. Станц доторх бичил биетний 80 хувийг хүний арьсны эсүүд бүрдүүлдэг бөгөөд хоолны газар, ариун цэврийн өрөө зэрэг байршил бүр өөрийн гэсэн химийн ул мөр, бичил биетний бүрэлдэхүүнтэй болохыг тогтоожээ.
Судалгааны явцад Дэлхийн эрүүл мэндийн байгууллагын “ESKAPE” жагсаалтад багтдаг, эмэнд тэсвэртэй бактериуд, тухайлбал Klebsiella pneumoniae болон Pseudomonas илэрсэн нь анхаарал татаж байна. Эрдэмтэн Кастури Венкатесвараны тэмдэглэснээр, Pantoea pearsonii зэрэг зарим бактерийг станцын орчноос бүрмөсөн цэвэрлэхэд хүндрэлтэй байгаа аж. Сансрын станцын тусгаарлагдмал орчин, цацраг идэвхт туяа болон байнга цэвэрлэх үйл явц нь эдгээр бичил биетний дасан зохицох чадварыг нэмэгдүүлж болзошгүй гэж судлаачид үзэж байна.
Түүнчлэн химийн шинжилгээгээр станцын гадаргуугаас олон тооны тодорхойгүй нэгдлүүд илэрсэн нь эрдэмтдийн анхаарлыг татаж байна. Эдгээр бодисын ихэнх нь липид эсвэл пептид гэж ангилагдах боловч яг ямар гарал үүсэлтэй нь одоогоор тодорхойгүй байгаа юм. Судлаачид сансрын станцыг бохир гэж үзэхээс илүүтэйгээр, хүний үйл ажиллагаатай холбоотой хэвийн бичил биетний тэнцвэртэй орчин гэж тодорхойлж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
The International Space Station (ISS) may look pristine, but its surfaces are home to a vast community of bacteria, fungi, and chemical traces left behind by the astronauts who live there. A new study has now produced the first 3D map showing how these microscopic passengers are distributed throughout the orbiting laboratory.
Drawing on samples collected from 803 surfaces across nine ISS modules, the research reveals that microbes do not spread randomly in microgravity. Instead, they form distinct patterns linked to daily human activities, much like they do in homes on Earth.
For decades, scientists have known that people bring their microbes everywhere they go. Space is no exception, every astronaut carries billions of microorganisms on their skin and in their bodies, and those microbes inevitably become part of the station’s environment.
To better understand this hidden ecosystem, researchers from the University of California, San Diego and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) analyzed hundreds of swabs collected throughout the ISS as part of a long-running microbial survey.
The Station Keeps a Microscopic Record of Everyday Life
The samples came from all over the ISS, including walls, handrails, tables, toilets, and air vents. Back on Earth, scientists examined the material using untargeted mass spectrometry, a technique capable of detecting thousands of molecules at once.
According to the study published in Cell, the results revealed clear links between specific locations and the chemical traces found there. The galley contained evidence of food and drinks, while restroom areas showed signatures associated with human metabolism.
For Nina Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher at UC San Diego, one finding stood out. Despite the absence of gravity, many molecules and microbes remained tied to particular locations.
“Basically, things stay on the surface,” said Zhao. “We were still able to see the impact of human activity on the surface chemistry of the space station, even under the zero gravity conditions.”
The study also found that astronauts themselves are the biggest source of microbes aboard the station. Human skin contributes around 80 percent of the microbial population detected on the ISS.
Some Familiar Pathogens Are Thriving in Orbit
The research team identified a wide range of microorganisms, including several pathogens from the World Health Organization’s ESKAPE list, a group known for causing difficult hospital infections.
Among them were Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas, bacteria that carried large numbers of antibiotic-resistance genes. Researchers found resistance particularly linked to beta-lactam antibiotics, which are widely used in healthcare.
One persistent resident was Pantoea pearsonii, a bacterium previously detected aboard the ISS. According to the researchers, it appeared again during sampling conducted in 2022.
“We haven’t been able to clean it up,” Kasthuri Venkateswaran from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained.
Scientists believe conditions on the station may help resistant microbes survive. Constant cleaning, exposure to radiation, and life in a closed environment create pressures that favor organisms capable of adapting.
Jamie Foster, a space biologist at the University of Florida who was not involved in the project, said the presence of these microbes caught her attention.
“I was surprised there were all these ESKAPE pathogens and viruses,” Foster said. “So there has to be a lot of monitoring to make sure good bacteria aren’t going bad.”
Scientists Still Can’t Explain This Strange Discovery
Not all of the discoveries involved bacteria. The chemical analysis uncovered a huge number of compounds that researchers still cannot explain. As stated by Foster, many of the metabolites recovered from ISS surfaces remain unknown. Some could only be broadly categorized as lipids or peptides, while others did not match any known chemical signatures.
“Most of the recovered metabolites were unknown. They just have no idea what they are,” she said.
The findings should not be interpreted as a sign that the ISS is unhygienic. Scientists describe the station as exceptionally clean, while noting that a certain amount of microbial life is both normal and potentially useful.
“If it’s too sterile, even minor pathogens become dangerous,” Venkateswaran said. “You need good microbes to balance the bad ones.”
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