Microbes in Microgravity: Identifying Diversity and Adaptations

The International Space Station (ISS) presents a uniquely challenging environment for microbial monitoring, especially within its water recovery system. In this webinar, our expert speakers will explore how NASA has shifted from Earth-dependent methods to rapid in situ bacterial identification and genome analysis, discussing the role of Oxford Nanopore sequencing in identifying hidden microbial diversity. Additionally, they will spotlight a collaboration with high school students that has uncovered evidence of adaptive evolution and potential virulence traits in spaceborne bacteria. - Explore how pangenomic analysis of R. pickettii isolates from the ISS reveals evidence of adaptive evolution and potential horizontal gene transfer in space environments - Learn about the virulence-associated genes found in bacterial isolates from the ISS potable waters, and understand their implications for astronaut health - Hear how spaceflight-compatible methods have been developed, optimized and validated to meet NASA requirements for use in human-associated spacecraft - Discover bioinformatic approaches and the computational pipelines used for bacterial whole genome sequencing and 16S rRNA analysis for bacterial identification