The International Space Station (|SS) has low microbial diversity, which could lead to astronaut health issues, according to a study published in Cell.

Researchers found that the microbial communities resemble those found in sanitized environments like hospitals rather than natural settings.

Co-senior study author Pieter Dorrestein explains that increasing microbial exposure could improve astronaut health during long-term space travel.

The study suggests incorporating natural elements, like soil, into the ISS to enhance microbial diversity and astronaut well-being.

The study in question:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00108-4

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[–] surph_ninja -2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

I completely agree. I’m referring to the existing funding mechanism, where decisions have to be made on which programs get a slice of a very small pie. Human space flight operations are an inefficient use of limited funds at this stage.

Especially with regards to Mars. I think it’s a massive mistake to be pushing for Mars colonization at all, until we can manufacture most of what’s needed in space or on Mars, and not have to send every single bolt up the gravity well.