Scientists Reveal How Microgravity Forces Viruses to Evolve Into More Efficient Killers

Scientists have discovered a biological "arms race" unfolding aboard the ISS. New research reveals that microgravity forces phages to evolve into more efficient predators to survive the lack of fluid mixing in space. (Credit: Pixabay)

Life beyond our atmosphere presents unique challenges that we are only beginning to understand. Recent findings suggest that the environment aboard the International Space Station may be altering how pathogens develop and behave. These biological shifts could pose significant new threats to astronauts' well-being during long-term missions.

Microbes and their viral predators, or phages, remain trapped in a constant cycle of mutual adaptation. Phages and the bacteria they target exist in a state of perpetual biological conflict. Research from the International Space Station (ISS) indicates, however, that this competitive development shifts onto a new path when encounters occur in microgravity.