Bacteria

In the 50 we decided to bombard food cans with huge amounts of radiation. Thus we discover a new bacteria: ‘D. Radiodurans’

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What happens if we bombard Escherichia coli? Well, many things may probably happen, but what happened in 1956 was that those responsible for this extreme experience discovered a new species of bacteria. They discovered it for a simple fact: Deinococcus radiodurans It is a bacterium with enormous resistance to ionizing radiation. In his experiment, the team submitted the can to a Dose of 4,000 gray (gy) of radiation-γ. A radiation capable of sterilizing almost anything. At first, its discoverers baptized the species as Micrococcus radioduransbut decades of taxonomic work led to reclassify the species as a member of a new genre that was called Deinococcus. The new name of the bacteria: D. Radiodurans. Almost seven decades after the discovery of its first member, the strange family of the deinococcus already has 11 cataloged species. The “strange” is not a saying: the name of this genre comes from the Greek word “Deinos“, Which can be translated as” strange “or” unusual. “ Seven decades of study have allowed us to enter the mechanisms that D. RadioduransUse to get unharmed from exposure to ionizing radiation (it is estimated that the bacteria can leave “rositas” of Dose equivalent to 5,000 gy and get to survive even higher levels) and the breaks of the DNA chains that usually result from this type of exposure. This bacterium uses several “tricks” of survival that, according to An article Posted in 2005 in Naturecan be classified between passive, and active or enzymatic mechanisms. Among the passive mechanisms that this bacterium has, the fact that D. Radiodurans Porta with several copies of its genome and with a condensed organization in its nuclear body. Thus you can avoid the dissemination of DNA fragments generated upon receiving radiation, explains the signatory team of the article in Nature. Regarding active or enzymatic mechanisms, the article explains that this unicellular organism has processes for the Damaged DNA repair. Also how much with mechanisms that limit DNA degradation after receiving radiation. The study continues In the last 20 years we have continued advancing in the study of this strange bacteria. Last year without going any further, the magazine Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a new article detailing a study that revealed new aspects of the resistance of this bacterium. The article studied the presence of a series of metabolites of this bacterium that, in combination with manganese, could form a powerful antioxidant agent. The team analyzed a synthetic version of this compound they called MDP, composed of manganese ions, phosphate and a small peptide. As they observedthe MDP components form a much more powerful complex when protecting against radiation than the compounds formed by the combination of manganese and the individual components of the MDP. The resistance of the bacteria can fascinate us but if so much attracts the interest of the scientific community is not only out of curiosity. Discoveries such as MDP antioxidant can help us protect our own radiation body and its effects. If we want to do long -term space tripsprotect us from Cosmic radiation It is essential; as it can also be to protect people who could be exposed to excessive radiation doses here on Earth. We do not know much about the origin of this bacterium but decades of study have given us enough information to rule out some ideas perhaps more typical of science fiction, such as the one that is postulating that it is an extraterrestrial organism or the fruit of the entry into the nuclear era. D. Radiodurans It is a bacterium, which implies a clear bond with the rest of the living beings of this planet and the evolution of its gender does not seem something that can occur in a few decades. The study of this bacterium, and of other similar will continue, either to satisfy our natural curiosity or to try to find new ways to protect us against radiation. In Xataka | The last time we lost a radioactive capsule ended in tragedy: Kramorsk nuclear incident Image | Michael Daly laboratory, uniform Services University / Catalan

We have found bacteria at the Chinese space station. The most surprising thing is that it is a new species

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Space exploration has an obsession with cleanliness. It is not for less: if we want to look for life on other planets of our solar system we have to make sure that our ships do not lead with them terrestrial life that can lead us to confusion. This is the main reason why space agencies pay enormous attention to microorganisms that may appear in their ships, even in those who do not travel to other planets. Sometimes life gives us surprises. Bacteria on board. Sample analysis taken in the Chinese Space Station Tiangong It has allowed to detect traces of the presence of an unknown bacterium in this aseptic space environment. The newly discovered bacteria would have mechanisms that would have allowed her to stay alive in the extreme conditions of life aboard an orbital station. Niallia tiagongensis. The new species has been baptized as Niallia tiagongensisin reference to the name of the space station placed in orbit by China. Name in turn can translate as “Celestial Palace” N. tiagongensis Share taxonomic gender with the species Niallia Circumsa pathogenic bacterium capable of causing sepsis in immunocompromised patients. The New bacterium It has a cane shape, but it would be able to form spores, oval structures that protect the genetic information of the species in extreme conditions such as high temperatures, radiation or lack of water. N. tiagongensis It could have arrived in this way to the station that has given it. A space bacterium? The evolutionary origin of this bacterium is on earth, but We do not know for now If this new species can be found on the surface or if on the contrary it is the result of the evolution of another bacterium. An evolution that could have occurred aboard the station, allowing the survival of the bacterial colonies. It is also possible that the species has an almost fully terrestrial origin but that its “space colonies” have evolved to better adapt to the new extraterrestrial environment. Two years of study. The samples that have given rise to the finding were collected inside the station In May 2023 by astronauts of the Shenzhou-15 mission. The study of the remains found has allowed to know details on the survival strategy of this microorganism. Genes have been found that encode some responses of these bacteria to some extreme conditions, such as their response to oxidative stress or their ability to repair the damage caused by radiation. For example, we know that this bacterium is capable of generating protective particles obtaining nitrogen and carbon from the decomposition of gelatins. The details of the finding were published In an article In the magazine International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. From ISS A Tiangong. It is not the first time that we find bacteria aboard a space station. We have detected bacteria years In the International Space Station, so much so that their astronauts began recently began the Life search abroad of the ship. What we can intuit from the fact that we would not have detected the new bacteria in other ships such as the ISS is that there is diversity in the populations of microorganisms that populate the different vehicles and stations that we send to space. A lost race? The news of the new finding has been produced almost at the same time that The announcement by NASA of the detection of numerous species of microorganisms inside one of its “clean rooms”, allegedly aseptic environments designed precisely to maintain devices and vehicles safe from pollution. Bad news, not only before we send (or we have already sent) microorganisms aboard the probes that explore planets and satellites where we suspect can exist or have existed extraterrestrial life. The fact that we know that this life is able to survive in the low terrestrial orbits It does not necessarily imply That these microbes can resist an interplanetary trip, but it is a bad indication. In Xataka | The International Space Station is a farm of new species of candidate bacteria Image | Shujianyang / Bob Blaylock

While half the world seeks more lithium, some researchers from China have eliminated it from the equation: batteries with bacteria

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The shortage of critical resources such as lithium and cobalt has been being a warningsince they are essential for the manufacture of batteries. However, a group of Chinese engineers have found a solution that does not require mining or polluting processes: it only needs bacteria. The study. Researchers from the Shenzhen Advanced Technology They have developed A battery that works with live bacteria. These microorganisms are electroactive, that is, they produce electricity. So the system uses hydrogels that contain living bacteria To conduct electricity and generate it, in addition within the soft material they are protected. Tangible applications Biobatería has a small size and ability to generate energy autonomously, ideal for integrating into portable devices, especially in the medical field. One of its most promising uses is the precise control of physiological functions such as blood pressure, by directed bioelectric stimulation. In this way, a door opens to new forms of physiotherapy, real -time monitoring and devices that do not require frequent recharge or toxic materials. More technical. Biobatería generates electricity thanks to the activity of bacteria such as Shewanella Oneidensis MR-1, which are contained in a alginate-based gel. The material It can be molded With 3D printers, which allows to design it. Its size of 20 mm in diameter and 3.2 mm high contains: a gel with bacteria that acts as an anode, another gel with a chemical that acts as a cathode, and a special membrane that allows the passage of ions between them. Replaces lithium? Its specific capacity (0.4 mAh/g) and energy density (0.008 WH/L) are lower than those of lithium -ion batteries, this biobatría offers a more sustainable alternative: it does not use critical materials or toxic components. In addition, it maintains a bacterial viability of 70 % during its operation and reaches 97.6 % at the end, which speaks of remarkable stability and efficiency. Forecasts Biobaterías are still far from reaching lithium in capacity or energy density. But what they lose potentially, compensate for it with other virtues: they are recharged alone, they are highly efficient and, above all, biocompatible. These qualities make them especially suitable for very specific uses, such as nerve stimulation, control of physiological functions or the operation of bioportile devices. Image | Unspash and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory – PNNL Xataka | Biological batteries? These bacteria can create a world based on renewable energies

There are more and more intrusions of Saharan dust in southern Europe. Now we know that fungi and bacteria are accompanied

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Since 2021, Calima’s episodes They have been increasingly frequent and intense. In fact, in these few years, the intrusions of Saharian dust in Spain have doubled. We already knew that this was becoming A huge public health problem And that, at the same time, it was a key factor in fertilization of large areas of the planet. What we just discovered is, in addition to dust, there are many more things in that calima. How are “more things”? A joint research team of the Blanes Advanced Studies Center (CEAB-CSIC) and the Ecological Research and Forest Applications Center (CREAF) He has discovered that “bacteria and fungi from the soils of the deserts of North Africa occupy the skies of southern Europe continuously.” They do, in fact, “even long after the great injections of Saharian dust produced by the episodes of Calima.” Analyzing 30 years of rains. To discover it, researchers They have studied Rain samples between 1987 and 2014 and have compared the results with the soils of the deserts of North Africa. In addition, they have recreated the main atmospheric dynamics that are in charge of dispersing microorganisms globally. And this is important? The truth is that yes. Until now It was thought that the microbiota present in a specific ecosystem was basically derived from that ecosystem and its neighbors. Now we have experimental record that continental distances can travel without major problem. On a practical level, all this not only has an impact on soil fertilization, but also on the spread of antibiotic -resistant genes or allergies. Could it be that the growth of allergies among the population was linked to that growth in dust intrusions on the peninsula? The increasingly small world. During the last decades we have believed that new information and transport technologies have made the world smaller and smaller. And it’s true. What we did not know is that the world was already very small before all this. And that changes the preconceived ideas we had been handling. Therefore, it is getting clearer, that we will have to assume the complicated task of manage comprehensive all ecological systems of the earth. And we better be prepared to do it well. Image | Copernicus In Xataka | More pollen, more deaths behind the wheel: the unexpected effect of the allergies season on traffic accidents

Tell me what bacteria live in your intestine and I will tell you who your friends are | Health and well-being

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Mencius, a Chinese philosopher, wrote a handful of centuries ago that “friendship is one mind in two bodies.” Modern science could add another element: friendship is also a microbiota in two bodies. A study has found that the more people interact, the more similar the composition of the microorganisms living in their intestines becomes, even if they do not live in the same household. The investigation, recently published in the magazine Naturealso ensures that an individual’s microbiome is determined not only by their closest social contacts, but also by the connections of these contacts. That is, the friends of your friends. To know the details of this investigation you have to take a trip to the western heart of the Honduran jungle. It was in this Caribbean country where scientists from Yale University worked for ten years until they recruited a group of 1,787 adults, spread across 18 isolated villages, to donate a sample of their feces. All participants had a traditional diet and practically did not consume antibiotics or other medications. Nicholas Christakis, lead author of the study, explains that they were “very lucky that the participants were helpful and engaged.” The scientists needed to be able to trace each of the volunteers’ contacts with certainty, something that would have been much more complicated to do in cities like Madrid or Barcelona. The towns of Honduras, in this case, were perfect. More information Before continuing to advance with the results of this research, it is worth explaining what the microbiota is and why it is important. Francisco Guarner, director of the Digestive System Research Unit at the Vall d’Hebron General Hospital in Barcelona, ​​has a definition: “It is the bacteria communityviruses and fungi that colonize the digestive tract. We could think of it as another organ of the human body, a set of biological capacities that help the survival of an individual.” Although this organ It lives within us, it functions under its own rules and hierarchies. It is organized in its own way and it is not easy to manipulate it. “It is essential for the digestion of food. It provides us with many enzymes and metabolic pathways that humans do not have,” adds the expert. Thanks to the microbiota we can, for example, digest fiber. They are also essential for the development of a balanced immune system. For decades, science has explored the composition of the microbiota to understand how it is generated in each person. Mireia Vallés Colomer, director of the Microbiome Research Group at Pompeu Fabra University, details that vertical transmission had been, until now, the most likely explanation. “We receive these microorganisms, in large part, from our mothers, through childbirth and breastfeeding. We also share bacteria that our grandmother passed to our mother,” he details. However, the new study ventures that the microbiota changes throughout life, and that those largely responsible for these changes are our social contacts. A horizontal transmission. “We were very surprised by the reach of microbes that networks of people share. In fact, we can predict who your friends are based on how similar the microbes in your stool are to theirs,” says Christakis. Data suggests that people living in the same house share up to 14% of the microbial strains in their intestines. While those who do not live together, but usually spend time together, share 10%. The research has also been able to determine that individuals who live in the same town, but who do not usually interact too frequently, share only 4%. There is, the authors say, a chain of transmission because friends of friends share more strains than would be expected by mere chance. The transmission method There is a question that continues to swirl around this research and that is to understand how strains are transmitted bacteria from one microbiota to the other. “We do not have a conclusive answer about how this transmission occurs,” says Vallés. And he adds: “What is hypothesized is that what reaches the intestine has to pass through the mouth. “Many bacteria in the microbiome don’t tolerate direct contact with oxygen for very long, so close contact is needed, but we don’t know exactly what that looks like.” Guarner, however, details that “the fecal-oral route “It seems to be the most important transmission vector.” That is to say, although we clean ourselves and more or less control our hygiene, in some previous studies it has been detected that the bacteria that are typically found in the intestine also appear on the hands. This is how they then reach the mouth. Some of the bacteria manage to survive this journey from the intestine because they travel in the form of spores, similar to those of fungi. “With this transmission mechanism it does not have to be extremely direct contact, it can be through a towel or clothing,” details Guarner. There is no need to be alarmed. This transfer of microorganisms It is what, in some way, keeps us alive. So much so, that new lines of research on the relationship between microbiota and health suggest that a healthy and fit community of microorganisms has an impact on several aspects of our well-being. Some researchers are trying to establish a direct relationship between the microbiota and non-communicable diseasessuch as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and even depression. Guarner explains: “This is still a bit speculative, but normally what happens is that these types of diseases are associated with a poor microbiome.” Vallés contributes that “it has been observed that people with the so-called ‘modern diseases’ suffer an alteration in the composition of their microbiome.” But it is not that there is a particular bacteria responsible for these diseases, but rather it is the loss of diversity in general that worsens the state of health. In this case, the research opens the door to continue analyzing whether these non-communicable diseases, in fact, do have a transmissibility factor. And if an entire community of people has a weakened microbiota, these diseases could proliferate more easily … Read more

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