New Bacteria found on ISS named after renowned Indian researcher

New Delhi, March 24: Proud moment for India as one of the novel strains of four new bacterial species which were discovered on board the International Space Station (ISS), has been named after Indian biodiversity scientist Seyed Ajmal Khan.

 

On 15 march the researchers found four strains from the family of Mytholobacteriaceae on various locations on the International Space Station (ISS). Out of the four, three have been previously undiscovered, while the fourth was identified as Methylorubrum rhodesianum bacteria. The study said, "Three of the strains, referred to as IF7SW-B2T, IIF1SW-B5, and IIF4SW-B5, were identified based on the traditional and genomic taxonomic approaches."

 

 

After that researchers from the University of Hyderabad, in coordination with NASA researching on the bacteria have named one of the IF7SW-B2T bacteria as the microbe Methylobacterium ajmalii. Syed Ajmal Khan is a professor at Tamil Nadu's Annamalai University. He is well known for his work on biodiversity.

 

 

 

 

According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, "Methylobacterium ajmalii have cells which are Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, and motile rods showing oxidase- and catalase-positive reactions. Cells are 1.6–1.8 μm wide and 2.2–3.2 μm long. Colonies on R2A agar are reddish-pink–pigmented, circular, convex, and smooth, with a diameter of approximately 0.6–1.0 mm after 3 days of incubation on R2A agar. "

 

The newly discovered bacteria are believed to be potentially sufficient for space farming. According to the study published, three out of four bacterias are completely new to mankind and have never been spotted. The Mytholobacteriaceae family supports the plant in their growth, fights pathogens that take a toll on them, and many other things. The four strains are from this very family of Mytholobacteriaceae. According to some experts, these bacterial species aid plant growth on the Space station by fixing nitrogen, involving in biocontrol activity amongst other things.

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