The gravitational study of fungi is the next great challenge of space exploration November 27, 2023 - Gearrice
Knowing the behavior of these organisms outside the usual conditions on Earth can be essential to continue the space race.
The Fungi kingdom encompasses a multitude of organisms on our planet. We talk about them when we tell you the 20 most poisonous mushrooms in the world or when we tell you almost horror stories, where the brains of ants are controlled by a fungus like zombies. However, these can also be present outside the planet and we must be able to understand them.
The mushrooms that wanted to know outer space
A team of researchers of the Macau University of Science and Technologybelonging to the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, has used the Large Diameter Centrifuge of the European Space Agency to test the fungi kingdom in an environment of hypergravity. According to information published by the ESA website.
This instrument, located in the Netherlands, is known by the acronym LDC and consists of four arms, with a diameter of 8 meters in length. Thanks to HyperGES program of the UN, in collaboration with ESA, scientists from the Macau University of Science and Technology have been able to use the LDC for two weeks to find out as different types of mushrooms react to higher gravity conditions to those we normally find on Earth.
Marta Filipa Simões is the leader of this research and explains that the study of fungi in space It already has its own name, astromycologyand that is extremely important, since they have been observed in outer space and their impact is known when they make an appearance.
One of the first cases to be documented was what happened in the Mir Space Stationof Russian origin, which as it aged became contaminated by fungi, which caused corrosion of the metal and darkening of the plastics, which caused problems in the structure of the space station.
Currently, the ISS has also had to deal with fungi on more than one occasion, especially in the rooms where the astronauts exercise, given that the presence of humidity is greater. That is why they must clean and disinfect these areas much more regularly. André Antunes speak clearly about fungus and the space:
"We will never get rid of fungi completely as we venture into space, so we need to understand them. They offer us positive possibilities as well as risks. On Earth, fungi are used to create food, such as yeast in fermentation, as well as medicines, chemical enzymes for industry, and metal nanoparticles used in numerous fields."
That is why the future of space exploration involves understanding the behavior of mushrooms in space being able to use them in work recycling or in the mining outside the Earth. It is possible to use them to reduce costs and could be key to contributing to the sustainability of the first colonies humans beyond the planet.
|