American space agency NASA has named a new bacteria found on International Space Station (ISS) after famous Indian scientist and former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The new bacteria has been named Solibacillus kalamii and according to scientists, this spore forming bacteria was never found earlier on Earth. Scientists also suggest that this new bug could help scientists identify chemicals that may help in protecting astronauts from radiation damage.
“The name of the bacterium is Solibacillus kalamii, the species name is after Dr Abdul Kalam and genus name is Solibacillus which is a spore forming bacteria,” said Dr Kasthuri Venkateswaran, senior research scientist, Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group at JPL.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientists found the bacteria on a high-efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) filter of the ISS. This filter remained on board ISS for 40 months, and is part of the housekeeping and cleaning system on ISS.
The filter, after remaining on board ISS for 40 months, was brought back at JPL for examination, where scientists including Dr Venkateswaran were able to discover the new bacteria. According to Venkateswaran, the space station actually harbors different types of bacteria and fungi. He also suggests that Solibacillus kalamii is actually not an extra-terrestrial life form, despite never being discovered earlier on Earth.
“I am reasonably sure it has hitch hiked to the space station on board some cargo and then survived the hostile conditions of space,” Venkateswaran said.
Dr Venkateswaran also believes that new bug could be a source for chemicals that may help protect against radiation damage.
“These spore-formers tend to withstand high radiation and also produce some useful compounds protein wise which will be helpful for biotechnology applications,” Venkateswaran said.
The detailed findings of the study have been published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
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