Nessun batterio "alieno" potrà più passare inosservato a bordo della Stazione spaziale internazionale (ISS). Infatti, con il nuovo anno sarà possibile mappare in tempo reale la presenza di eventuali microrganismi ospiti senza dover spedire a terra i campioni, grazie ad appositi kit per le analisi genetiche.
I primi test in orbita sono stati condotti con successo nel 2017 dall'astronauta e biochimica Peggy Whitson grazie al supporto a distanza della microbiologa Sarah Wallace, responsabile del progetto. Le analisi sono state poi ripetute nei laboratori, confermando i risultati ottenuti e dimostrando, così, l'affidabilità dei test eseguiti in orbita.
La possibilità di studiare in tempo reale la presenza di batteri nello spazio è considerata di fondamentale importanza dagli esperti, sia per il monitoraggio delle condizioni di salute degli astronauti, sia in chiave futura per lo studio di tracce di vita microbica su altri corpi celesti.
Le indagini hanno dimostrato, inoltre, che i microrganismi che popolano l'ISS sono gli stessi che si trovano nelle case terrestri.
ATS/AnP
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