The bacteria was discovered on a space station. Credit: Baolo Nespoli - ESA/NASA / Getty
Chinese scientists discovered a new strain of bacteria thriving on the Tiangong Space Station.
The find sounds like something from science fiction.
We’ve seen stories like this before, and they rarely end well for humanity.
Scientists discovered a new bacterium, Niallia tiangongensis, on the surface hardware of the China Space Station.
Taikonauts collected it in 2023 using sterile wipes—a surprisingly low-tech method.
They froze the samples and returned them to Earth for analysis.
The Beijing Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering led the research, later published in a microbiology journal.
So, what makes this bug so special?
It’s a mutated cousin of Niallia circulans, commonly found in soil, sewage, food, and human waste.
But this space strain got upgrades.
It can hydrolyze gelatin, meaning it thrives in nutrient-poor environments.
In short, this bug is built to survive—and feed—where few others can.
Researchers found structural and functional changes in two key proteins of Niallia tiangongensis.
These changes may help it form biofilms, resist oxidative stress, and repair radiation damage.
Such traits make it especially resilient in space.
Scientists believe the mutations resulted from the station’s harsh environment.
The study noted these formations likely developed in space, making the bacterium highly adaptable.
CHAMP, the program behind the discovery, aims to track microbial dynamics in long-term space missions.
It’s not just collecting space bugs for fun.
According to the South China Morning Post, CHAMP also studies microbes’ active substances, genetic traits, and metabolic functions.
Experts say discoveries like this could be vital for future space missions, especially long-term manned flights.
They may even lead to breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture on Earth.
And this isn’t the first time space bugs have raised alarms.
Last year, astronauts on the International Space Station found a mutated, drug-resistant gut bacterium floating around.
That study shocked the scientific community and raised concerns about future pathogens in space environments.
