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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

A lack of microbial diversity contributes to rashes, fungi and other infections Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are plagued by persistent rashes, unusual allergies and a variety of infections, including fungi, cold sores and shingles.

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"There's a big difference between exposure to healthy soil from gardening versus stewing in our own filth, which is kind of what happens if we're in a strictly enclosed environment with no ongoing input of those healthy sources of microbes from the outside," said Rob Knight, director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation at the University of California, San Diego.

#1 | Posted by censored at 2025-03-25 12:52 PM | Reply

Republicans haven't de-funded this science yet?

That's a shame. This money would have been better used giving billionaires another tax cut.

Space is for Russia and China to dominate.

#2 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-03-25 01:15 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

Maybe a terrarium would make a better habitat?

#3 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2025-03-25 08:02 PM | Reply

Humans evolved to live on earth at a certain temperature band and atmospheric makeup.

This is why mars is so obviously a giant scam and waste of money.

#4 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 12:30 AM | Reply

I bet.

#5 | Posted by fresno500 at 2025-03-26 05:10 AM | Reply

#5 Humans and life in general haven't proven to be remarkably resilient, definitely.

#6 | Posted by kwrx25 at 2025-03-26 10:05 AM | Reply

Re 5

Wrong bucko

Life in general is amazingly resilient and adaptable. I expect it has even made it off planet by now possibly out by Jupiter or Saturn. Or perhaps it's not even from here originally. That would be something.

Life has proved incredibly resilient, and simple organisms have been found everywhere from Antarctica to the bottom of mines; even the so-called Dead Sea supports 'salt-loving' haloarchaea microorganisms and extremophiles in Yellowstone volcanic pools. There are very few places on earth where life does not thrive. If there is water there is life.

As for humans. The jury is still out. I suspect the earth will shrug us off her back like a bunch of annoying fleas if we continue to harm her with our ignorance and hate and selfishness.

#7 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-03-26 12:34 PM | Reply

The involuntary and unexpected extension of their visit speaks for itself.

Iykyk.

#8 | Posted by fresno500 at 2025-03-26 01:08 PM | Reply

Humans evolved to live on earth at a certain temperature band and atmospheric makeup.

This is why mars is so obviously a giant scam and waste of money.

#4 | Posted by SPEAKSOFTLY

I've thought of a hundred reasons why colonizing Mars is nearly impossible but I've never thought about microbial diversity. It would be like the opposite of War of the Worlds.

#9 | Posted by Derek_Wildstar at 2025-03-26 01:15 PM | Reply

#5 Humans and life in general haven't proven to be remarkably resilient, definitely.

#6 | Posted by kwrx25

Shocker. A trump cult moron knows nothing about science.

#10 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 01:17 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 2

I've thought of a hundred reasons why colonizing Mars is nearly impossible but I've never thought about microbial diversity. It would be like the opposite of War of the Worlds.

#9 | Posted by Derek_Wildstar

Someone should also tell genius musk that mars has 1/3 earth's gravity, which will wreck human biology.

#11 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 01:17 PM | Reply

Does it smell too clean too?

#12 | Posted by itchyp at 2025-03-26 01:58 PM | Reply

which will wreck human biology.

#11 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY

The human body will eventually adapt to its environment. Martians will probably be taller and skinny with big fat heads. A bit like the grays. And if they adapt they will not want to come back. They may eventually evolve into an entirely new species.

As for the space station.. there are humans living eating and pooping in there so I am pretty sure it doesn't always smell "clean".

And humans have lots of creatures living in and on them. So unless they sterilize the place once a week or so then there has got to be microorganisms and debris from all the bodies in there.

If micro diversity is really a problem then maybe they do need a garden module like in the 1972 Sci Fi movie Silent Running.

#13 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-03-26 02:22 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The human body will eventually adapt to its environment. Martians will probably be taller and skinny with big fat heads. A bit like the grays.

#13 | Posted by donnerboy

Biology "adapts" via natural selection over thousands of years.

Meaning countless generations of humans will need to be born and die on mars til there's finally a beneficial mutation that allows us to live there.

#14 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 03:09 PM | Reply

* and that's IF there were any resources for humans to survive on, which there aren't.

#15 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 03:10 PM | Reply

"Biology "adapts" via natural selection over thousands of years."

That's not the only way.

You can adapt to high altitude low oxygen concentration within a few weeks. You start making hemoglobin with greater affinity for oxygen.

That's why athletes train at altitude.

#16 | Posted by snoofy at 2025-03-26 03:11 PM | Reply

Meaning countless generations of humans will need to be born and die on mars til there's finally a beneficial mutation that allows us to live there.

#14 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY

Exactly. It would take hundreds of thousands of years. And at least that long to terraform the place.

Of course for humans to evolve into another species humans would actually have to go and live there and not come back for hundreds of thousands of years.

I am not sure that will ever really happen. We will probably go there and come right back and never go back. Kinda like we did with the moon. That's also assuming the mission is successful. That will be one heck of a journey. So unless we find Life or a rock made of diamonds or something very valuable out there then there is no incentive to go out there other than to prove we can.

Personally I would never give up the Green Hills of Earth for a life on an airless barren hellhole of a dead planet. Assuming it IS dead. And if it's not dead it's pretty damn close. And WE certainly aren't going to save it. We can't even save earth.

And we still haven't gone where any life could still be there if it was ever there. It's deep down in the Big Rip or at the poles.

#17 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-03-26 03:38 PM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The human body will eventually adapt to its environment. Martians will probably be taller and skinny with big fat heads. A bit like the grays.
#13 | Posted by donnerboy
Biology "adapts" via natural selection over thousands of years.
Meaning countless generations of humans will need to be born and die on mars til there's finally a beneficial mutation that allows us to live there.
#14 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 03:09 PM

Having already survived several radiological and climatary cataclysms means life does possess the information genetically to survive another.

We lose diversity, and as the ecology re-balances we may gain some.

Imo.

#18 | Posted by redlightrobot at 2025-03-26 03:48 PM | Reply

Having already survived several radiological and climatary cataclysms means life does possess the information genetically to survive another.

We lose diversity, and as the ecology re-balances we may gain some.

Imo.

#18 | Posted by redlightrobot

Who's WE? Humans have never survived any of that. More primative and durable life forms have.

#19 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2025-03-26 05:12 PM | Reply | Funny: 1

Shocker speakdumbly thinks I vote right, and that I don't have a STEM degree.

Reason 1746 Trump won, the lefties always think they are the smartest ones in the room, when they only drag down the average IQ.

#20 | Posted by kwrx25 at 2025-03-26 08:36 PM | Reply

Humans have never survived any of that. More primative and durable life forms have.

#19 | POSTED BY SPEAKSOFTLY

Hiroshima? Fukushima? Chernobyl? Over 500 nuclear bombs set off in our atmosphere? 928 nuclear tests right here in our own country (Nevada) - 100 of which were atmospheric, and 828 were underground.


#21 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-03-27 05:29 PM | Reply

Plus all those microplastics in our bodies, including hearts and pps!

#22 | Posted by hamburglar at 2025-03-27 05:47 PM | Reply

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