Volume 8 Number 1 2025
Microbial Evolution in Microgravity or Space: Understanding Microbial Adaptation and Survival in Space Environments — A Systematic Review
Eliton da Silva Vasconcelos 1*, Juliano de dea Lindner 2
Microbial Bioactives 8 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/microbbioacts.8110411
Submitted: 20 August 2025 Revised: 15 October 2025 Accepted: 24 October 2025 Published: 26 October 2025
Abstract
As humanity ventures deeper into space, microorganisms accompany every mission, silently influencing both astronaut wellbeing and spacecraft durability. These tiny travelers, often overlooked, display extraordinary resilience to conditions that would devastate most life on Earth. This review explores how microbes adapt and evolve under the combined stresses of cosmic radiation, microgravity, and the confined, resource-limited environments of spacecraft. Drawing on evidence from spaceflight missions and ground-based simulations, the synthesis reveals a striking pattern of microbial ingenuity. Many species exhibit altered growth behavior, stress resistance, and genetic plasticity—traits that enable them to survive and even thrive in extraterrestrial settings. However, this adaptability comes with risks: increased virulence, antibiotic resistance, and the formation of biofilms that can corrode spacecraft materials and contaminate life-support systems. Yet microbes are not solely adversaries. Their metabolic flexibility also offers promise for bioregenerative life-support, waste recycling, and oxygen production—functions vital for long-term human habitation beyond Earth. The dual nature of microbial presence in space underscores the need for balanced strategies: rigorous contamination control paired with the deliberate use of beneficial strains in sustainable space biotechnologies. Understanding these microbial dynamics is not merely about preventing infection—it is about learning how life, in its smallest forms, endures and transforms amid the vastness of space.
Keywords: Microbial adaptation, space environment, biofilm formation, astronaut health, spacecraft contamination, microgravity, cosmic radiation
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