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The ISS is 'too clean', and it could be making astronauts sick (www.abc.net.au)

submitted 3 weeks ago by otter to c/[email protected]

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Summary from elsewhere

The International Space Station (|SS) has low microbial diversity, which could lead to astronaut health issues, according to a study published in Cell.

Researchers found that the microbial communities resemble those found in sanitized environments like hospitals rather than natural settings.

Co-senior study author Pieter Dorrestein explains that increasing microbial exposure could improve astronaut health during long-term space travel.

The study suggests incorporating natural elements, like soil, into the ISS to enhance microbial diversity and astronaut well-being.

The study in question:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00108-4

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Microbial diversity in relation to space travel seems like such a huge issue to think about but no one talks about it that much it seems. I've been thinking recently that the most dangerous thing about any aliens making first contact by just landing in a field somewhere would be the pathogens we would exchange immediately. It's the pivotal moment in War of the Worlds, for instance, and I can't see any way to avoid it. I did suddenly realise recently, talking about that movie, that although everyone was completely on board with the aliens dying from our bugs, no one questioned why their bugs didn't kill us too?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My understanding of the lore is that Martians got so good at fighting pathogens, they eradicated all of them, which lead to their immune systems gradually weakening over generations.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Oh yeah! I think I remember that now. So that explains why we can't catch stuff from them cos they haven't got anything to pass on.

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