3 ‘Space bugs’
As well as wondering what space travel does to a human body, it is also worth asking what does space travel do to microbes? Microgravity environments can alter their genetics, commanding the microbes to do things differently.
There are billions of microbes in the gut of one astronaut on the ISS. Many of them are very beneficial. For example, some produce vitamin K to help blood to clot; others help to digest food. It has been found, though, that in a microgravity environment the ability of Salmonella to cause disease is increased. Other bacteria, however, produce more helpful antibiotics in space than on Earth.
Now watch Video 3, which introduces ‘space bugs’, and then complete Activity 4.
Activity 4 Bacteria in a microgravity environment
Allow approximately 15 minutes
Choose the correct option to answer the following questions.
1. What did scientists discover about bacteria in space, compared with those on Earth? They are:
2. What type of chamber do scientists use to recreate a microgravity environment on Earth when experimenting with bacteria?
3. What effect does this chamber have on the bacteria?
You will now look at how random positioning machines are used in experiments.
OpenLearn - Microgravity: living on the International Space Station
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