Getting more out of microbes—studying Shewanella in microgravity

While cities, towns, and spaceships operated entirely from energy generated by microbial sources are still the stuff of science fiction, scientific knowledge needed for such a future can build from studies like the latest microbial investigation to arrive at the International Space Station. An experiment called Investigating the Physiology and Fitness of an Exoelectrogenic Organism under Microgravity Conditions (Micro-12) was delivered to the orbiting laboratory by SpaceX CRS-15. This study advances research for fundamental science and biotechnology applications by testing the performance of an unusual bacterial microorganism known as Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (Shewanella) in microgravity conditions.