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NASA Is Studying the Fungus Among Us Before Humans Take It To a New Planet (fastcompany.com)

Posted by msmash on from the time-for-caution dept.

From a new report: As humanity starts packing for a trip to Mars, NASA scientists are studying what not to bring along for the journey. In short, leave the fungus at home. NASA researchers created a closed habitat -- similar to where humans would have to live to survive long space travel or on a new planet -- and looked at fungi and how they grew, publishing their findings in the journal Microbiome. Fungi are "extremophiles" that can survive in the harshest conditions, but in the closed environment of a space station, they can wreak havoc. To see exactly what kind of fungi might colonize astronauts while they colonize Mars, researchers set up an Inflatable Lunar/Mars Analog Habitat, which simulates the closed environment of the International Space Station. They found that certain kinds of fungi increased in number while humans were living inside the habitat, and the weakened immune systems that come with living in a bubble make people more vulnerable to fungi.

11 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Come On! by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Funny

    Come on, that's no way to talk about Donald Trump Jr!

    (I know I know, flamebait and off topic, but you only live once)

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    1. Re:Come On! by turkeydance · · Score: 2

      well, he's a Fun Guy. i'm living the dream.

    2. Re:Come On! by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Funny

      You're right. It was uncalled for. Fungi are a noble group, and in no way should be compared to Trumps.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  2. No Mars Soon by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Contamination risk in both directions is too high. A thorough automated or heavily quarantined survey of Mars' possible life will be needed before humans land. We have to be pretty damned sure there's no life on Mars before we risk ruining what's there. That's a lot of digging and sifting and lab work, possibly costing more than a human mission itself.

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:No Mars Soon by slick7 · · Score: 2

      Humans are the most virulent form of disease. We've done more damage to this planet, as well as to ourselves, than any other sentient being. No wonder no other beings will openly communicate with us; barring those that see us as part of the food chain.

      --
      The mind conceives, the body achieves, the spirit manifests.
  3. Almost destroyed MIR by gurps_npc · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Russian station, MIR, was almost over-run by fungus. http://rense.com/general8/mir....

    It was mutated by radiation and almost un-killable. Note that MIR was de-orbited and not all pieces burned up completely.

    Yes, that's right, somewhere in the world, there might exist a colony of mutant space fungus that the Russians tried and failed to kill.

    --
    excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    1. Re:Almost destroyed MIR by hawkfish · · Score: 2

      The Russian station, MIR, was almost over-run by fungus. http://rense.com/general8/mir....

      It was mutated by radiation and almost un-killable. Note that MIR was de-orbited and not all pieces burned up completely.

      Yes, that's right, somewhere in the world, there might exist a colony of mutant space fungus that the Russians tried and failed to kill.

      I just finished Geoffrey Landis' Mars Crossing in which the first American mission to Mars was taken out by athlete's foot. I thought it was a bit too tongue in cheek but now I'm worried.

      --
      You will not drink with us, but you would taste our steel? - Walter Matthau, The Pirates
  4. Wrong, Mars is safe from contamination by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    Or did you miss the recent article that Mars is inherently self-sterilizing?

    If anything we can now me less careful about what we send to Mars, so it's easier to explore.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Wrong, Mars is safe from contamination by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's self-sterilizing if we assume that life on Mars couldn't have found a way to deal with perchlorates. Extremophiles here on Earth demonstrate that life can evolve to survive in some pretty inhospitable and outright toxic environments.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  5. Yeasts? by gtwrek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pretty sure the article doesn't conclude "In short, leave the fungus at home". That's way too broad a generalization. (And while I'm not a microbiologist, I don't think even remotely possible).

    In any event, who'd want to go to Mars without a good source of one's favorite beverage? Or bread? Beer/Wine/Bread and many other our favorite food and drinks all
    depend on yeasts, which are in the fungus family.

  6. Deep Sea Diver Habitats by IonOtter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is very serious problem in deep diving habitats and environments. The constant moisture, combined with limited mobility and super-saturation of oxygen means that Athlete's Foot grows at a fantastic rate.

    Divers living in those habitats have to devote a significant amount of time to scrubbing, cleaning, drying and powdering their feet, or fungal infections will get out of control very rapidly.

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