Scientists discover new bacterium on Chinese space station

A never-before-seen bacterium was found on China’s Tiangong space station.

Samples were taken from the station’s cockpit and returned to Earth, and researchers detected a rod-shaped bacterium which they named Nialla tiangongensis.

It is unclear whether the newly discovered species evolved on the space station — there are likely billions of uncatalogued bacterial species on Earth.

But the new bacterium is well adapted to life in space, WIRED reported: It is able to break down certain proteins most bacteria cannot, useful in nutrient-poor environments, and it has a protective biofilm which should shield it from radiation damage.