<ul><li>Scientists have found a new strain of bacteria, Niallia tiangongensis, inside China's Tiangong space station, which is a variant of a soil-dwelling terrestrial microbe that can cause sepsis.</li><li>The bacteria was discovered by the crew of the Shenzhou-15 mission in samples collected in 2023 before being sent back to Earth for analysis.</li><li>The new strain has picked up adaptations to survive in space, including genes for responses to oxidative stress, radiation damage repair, and forming biofilms to extract carbon and nitrogen.</li><li>Further study on this new strain could provide insights into how it and other microbes survive in space, potentially helping safeguard astronauts' health and spacecraft functionality.</li></ul>

Unknown strain of bacteria found on China's Tiangong Space Station

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