Space Station Experiments Reveal Unexpected Viral Evolution

Daily Health

14/01/2026

Experiments conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have revealed that bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, behave in peculiar ways in microgravity. Scientists observed that these viruses took longer to infect their bacterial hosts, and both viruses and bacteria developed unusual mutations in response to the space environment and each other.

Key Takeaways

Viruses and bacteria evolve differently in space compared to Earth.
Microgravity can lead to unpredictable mutations in microbes.
Space-evolved viruses may offer new therapeutic possibilities.

Phages in the Final Frontier

While it's known that microbes can thrive in the unique environment of the ISS, research into their interactions, particularly between bacteriophages and bacteria, has been limited. Senior study author Vatsan Raman, a biomolecular and cellular engineer at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, explained that spaceflight alters fundamental environmental aspects like fluid mixing and cell encounters, which are critical for phage infection. The team aimed to determine if microgravity merely slows these processes or pushes phages and bacteria onto entirely different evolutionary paths.

Unexpected Adaptations

The study focused on T7 phages and their interaction with Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. Initially, the phages in space were slower to infect their prey, likely due to altered fluid dynamics in microgravity. However, once infection began, both the phages and bacteria rapidly adapted. The bacteria evolved enhanced defenses against phage infection and improved survivability in space, while the phages developed more efficient infection mechanisms. Notably, some genetic changes observed in the space-dwelling phages were unprecedented and unlike anything seen in Earth-based studies.

Implications for Space Travel and Medicine

These findings have significant implications for long-duration space missions. The evolving microbes aboard spacecraft could potentially impact astronaut health and the station's environment. On a more positive note, the research suggests that phages adapted in space could offer new solutions for combating drug-resistant infections on Earth. Experiments on Earth indicated that some of the mutations acquired in space made the phages more effective against E. coli strains that cause urinary tract infections. While conducting such experiments in space is challenging, understanding how microgravity shapes microbial evolution could inform future research and applications on Earth, potentially leading to novel phage therapies.

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