Scientists Studied The International Space Station And Found A New Species On The Dinner Table

Could the search for alien life really have been so simple all along? Or is there another explanation for the strange organism creeping through the halls and chambers of the ISS? Thanks to the work of an international team of scientists, the truth about this incredible discovery is beginning to unfold.

But it’s not just the novel nature of this new life that has got people talking. According to experts, the organism may hold the key to so much more. With its help, mankind could venture further into space than ever before – paving the way for colonies on Mars and beyond.

So what exactly did researchers find on the dining table where astronauts eat their daily meals? And what does it mean for the future of life in space? For years, scientists in India and the United States have been monitoring different corners of the ISS – and the results are something truly amazing.

Ever since it launched in November 1998, the ISS has been at the forefront of our efforts to understand and conquer space. Over the years, various technical experiments and tests have been carried out on the station, exploring exactly how humans function away from Earth’s atmosphere. But it’s not all about what takes place within the laboratory walls.

In fact, every aspect of daily life is a learning opportunity – and an adventure – on board the ISS. And activities that might seem simple here on Earth, such as eating, take on an entirely new dimension. But when scientists took a closer look at the astronauts’ dining table, they found something really out of this world. 

So what exactly did they find? Was it a relic, perhaps, from some strange meal that only astronauts consume? After all, food in space must be really different from the food that we eat on our planet. Could it have been some alien source of nutrition that spawned new life on the ISS?

Well, although it might surprise you, the daily menu at the station is not actually all that different than the dishes that you enjoy at home. Admittedly, though, that hasn’t always been the case. When astronauts first started visiting space, their food typically came in the form of paste or dehydrated meals. And while removing the water from ingredients is still a common way to preserve them, off-world cuisine has improved a lot since the early days.

Now astronauts on board the ISS regularly graze on dishes such as breakfast burritos, peanut butter sandwiches and even lettuce grown in space. In other words, all commonplace items that seem unlikely to spawn any new species. So where exactly did the anomaly come from, and how did it make its way to the dinner table?

Of course, the hunt for life in space is nothing new. Ever since mankind first began to look to the stars, we have speculated over what strange and wondrous creatures might call these alien planets home. Then, towards the end of the 19th century, scientists began actively searching for evidence of these hypothetical civilizations.

One of the first researchers who would turn his attention to alien-hunting was Nikola Tesla, who once suspected that he was communicating with Mars. Later, other engineers, such as Guglielmo Marconi, spoke out in support of these claims. But it wasn’t until the 1960s that the first dedicated experiments began.

For decades, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, was mainly passive. Using an evolving array of tech, scientists scanned the heavens in the hopes of picking up a signal from an alien world. But although they did detect the occasional anomaly, it was not enough to draw any definite conclusions.

In recent years, though, SETI researchers have been taking a more proactive approach to tracking down the aliens of our universe. Now vehicles such as the Mars rover Perseverance are actively searching for evidence of life on other planets. But it’s not exactly little green men that they are looking for.

Instead, experts at NASA have been scanning Mars for signs of life on a microbial scale. If they find it, the discovery could have far-reaching implications for SETI – not to mention how we conceive of our place in the universe. So far, tests have been inconclusive, but the research is ongoing. 

But what might alien life look like if scientists ever manage to track it down? And what conditions are needed for it to thrive? Generally, experts believe that any extraterrestrial lifeforms would be bound by the same criteria as those that apply on Earth. In other words, the critters would need elements such as nitrogen and oxygen to survive. 

Of course, none of those exist in the vacuum of space. But on some alien planets, and in manmade environments such as the ISS, it’s a different story. In these places, we know that the building blocks of life are present, making it more likely for extraterrestrial organisms to evolve.

Could the astronauts at the ISS, then, have been sitting on alien life all along? Certainly, a recent study has claimed, researchers really did discover an entirely new species hidden inside the station. But did it come from the stars, or was its origin a little more terrestrial in nature?  

Research into this strange new lifeform began in 2015 when astronauts on board the ISS started collecting swabs from across the station. The idea, according to a March 2021 statement by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, was to study the development of bacterial growth. To do so, the crew took samples from eight different locations.

Eventually, the statement claims, NASA hopes to build facilities to analyze such samples in space. For now, though, each swab needs to be sent back down to Earth, where scientists at JPL can begin to unravel their secrets. And there certainly appear to be some big ones lying in wait.  

According to a study published in March 2021 in the journal Frontiers, as many as three new lifeforms were discovered scattered across the ISS. But it’s no wonder that the astronauts hadn’t spotted them: they are invisible to the naked eye. Rather than aliens with tentacles or gray skin, they are a type of bacteria that has never been seen before.

In fact, as many as four different types of bacteria have been detected on board the ISS. One, the study claims, was found lurking inside an air filter that had been sent back to Earth, while another was in a research area known as the Cupola. A third, meanwhile, was located in an panel positioned overhead. 

Somewhat worryingly, a fourth strain of bacteria was also detected on the table where astronauts eat their daily meals. But spotting the microbes was just the beginning. By applying gene sequencing techniques, the team down on Earth began to learn more about these lifeforms – and what they can tell us about life in space.

According to the study, the bacteria found on the old air filter belonged to a species known as Methylobacterium rhodesianum, commonly found in soil. In fact, all four strains were from a family that lives in the gardens and freshwater of our planet. But three of them, it seems, were entirely new to science.

Dubbed IF7SW-B2T, IIF1SW-B5 and IIF4SW-B5, the three strains are thought to belong to the same, previously unknown, species. Similar to Methylobacterium indicum, a known bacteria previously detected on grains of rice, it is currently without a name. But researchers hope to christen the discovery Methylobacterium ajmalii, after the Indian scientist Ajmal Khan.

So where exactly did this new species come from? After all, if it evolved in space, it could be considered a form of alien life. But those involved with SETI shouldn’t get too excited just yet. According to Adam Rogers, a science writer for the magazine WIRED, there is only a slim possibility that the microbes have extraterrestrial origins.

Instead, Rogers argued in May 2021, it was far more likely that the bacteria had been brought to the station from Earth. He wrote, “Odds are they hitched a ride on cargo, or on astronauts, and the microbe hunters only noticed them because they went looking.” And Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran, a scientist involved with the project, agrees.

“There are chances of evolution in space, no doubt, but the space station is so young,” Venkateswaran told Rogers. “It’s only 20 years old. Bacteria might not have evolved in that space of time.” But even if these new discoveries aren’t technically alien by nature, they still have plenty to tell us about life in space.

After all, if these microbes are capable of surviving in the hostile environment of the ISS, they could hold the key to so much more. For example, the success of any future colonization projects hinges on mankind’s ability to grow food in space. Might this recent discovery help improve NASA’s attempts at an extraterrestrial vegetable patch?

According to the statement, Venkateswaran believes that the new discoveries may have “biologically useful genetic determinants” that could be used to grow plants in space. In other words, by isolating specific genes researchers may be able to learn more about what makes organisms thrive outside Earth’s atmosphere. And they’re already on their way.

“To grow plants in extreme places where resources are minimal, isolation of novel microbes that help to promote plant growth under stressful conditions is essential,” Venkateswaran and his colleague, Dr. Nitin Singh, explained. So far, the team has determined that at least one of the strains contains genetic information relating to growth in plants.

According to Venkateswaran and Singh, NASA plans to use the ISS as a “test-bed for surveying microorganisms” in preparation for manned missions to Mars and beyond. And these latest discoveries could be just the beginning. In the statement, the scientists explain that some 1,000 samples are still at the ISS, waiting for analysis back on Earth.

Meanwhile, some experts have warned that these new discoveries might not be anything to write home about. After all, new lifeforms crop up on our home planet all the time. Speaking to the British newspaper The Guardian in March 2021 the Medical University of Graz’s Christine Moissl-Eichinger brought things back down to Earth.

“In every spoon of soil, or stool sample, there are hundreds of undescribed microbial species,” Moissl-Eichinger said. “I am sure there are still hundreds or even thousands of less characterised, maybe even unknown, microorganisms on board the ISS.” Nevertheless, she admitted that research into the new bacteria had its appeal.

“This [finding] is of course kind of interesting, as we are aiming to send humans on a long trip to Mars some day, and they will be enclosed together with billions of microbes,” Moissl-Eichinger continued. “The more we know about all these different species, the better.” Meanwhile, as scientists continue to study life on the ISS, some strange new residents have arrived.

On June 3, 2021, a SpaceX rocket left the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a mission to the ISS. Two days later, it docked at the station, delivering a fresh batch of cargo to the six astronauts living and working on board. But among the scientific equipment and supplies was something a little more unusual.

Somewhat improbably, a type of cephalopod that glows in the dark is now among the lifeforms that call the ISS home. Known as Euprymna scolopes, or the bobtail squid, this bizarre creature in turn plays host to a number of smaller species, or microbes. And it is the interaction between these two organisms that scientists plan to study.

On Earth, the miniscule creatures and their squid host enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. But will this change once they are catapulted hundreds of miles through space to the ISS? By looking at if, and how, this interaction alters, researchers hope to learn more about the communication between living beings and microbes. And ultimately, this data could help keep astronauts healthy on long missions.

“Animals, including humans, rely on our microbes to maintain a healthy digestive and immune system,” Jamie Foster, who is heading up the experiment, told press in June 2021. “We do not fully understand how spaceflight alters these beneficial interactions.” Hopefully, with the help of some 100 squid, they will soon know more.

And it’s not just the cephalopods that will be joining the new bacteria on the ISS. According to reports, around 5,000 tardigrades, or water bears, were also among the cargo that arrived on June 5. Another type of microscopic life, these fascinating organisms can survive in even the harshest of environments. By studying them in space, then, researchers hope to see what tricks they have up their sleeves.

So it seems that the ISS is bursting with strange and wonderful life – even if none of it has come from an alien planet. And while this latest discovery might not seem too exciting, it could help pave the way for the colonization of space. Once humans have reached this milestone, there’s no telling what else we might discover.