Why Does Bacterial Growth Increase In Space Flight

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Previous investigations have reported that bacterial growth increases in space flight; however, the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for these changes have not been fully determined. As bacteria consume nutrients, they excrete by-products whose presence can influence the onset of exponential growth and affect final cell population density. It is assumed that these metabolic processes create a reduced-density fluid zone and/or a solute gradient around each cell. On Earth, this density difference may result in local buoyancy-driven convection of the excreted by-products. The absence of convection and sedimentation in the low-gravity space flight environment, however, can be expected to alter the fluid dynamics surrounding the cells

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