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ISS experiments show microgravity alters bacteriophage–bacteria coevolution, with crew health and biosecurity implications

Experiments aboard the International Space Station found microgravity reshapes coevolution between bacteriophages and their bacterial hosts: phages remain infectious but evolve along different genetic pathways in near-weightlessness, sometimes toward traits associated with increased potency. Results carry direct implications for crew microbiome management and spacecraft biosecurity.

Discovered 2026-01-13T11:11:50.910863-08:00 | 2026-01-13T11:11:50.910863-08:00

Briefing

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ISS experiments demonstrate bacteriophages stay infectious in near-weightlessness but follow altered evolutionary trajectories, including mutations linked to greater potency — a concrete biosecurity and crew-health concern for long-duration LEO missions.
These results add biological context to prior findings on biomolecule persistence in space [source:e41cff52-008d-4a67-9bc3-71600f9477a0] and should inform microbiome monitoring and habitat design as planners consider future LEO stations and ISS retirement scenarios [source:ec8a0e87-b64e-4f45-9d2f-5fddb7229589].

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