Introduction:

NASA sent an Extraterrestrial Landing Vehicle Integrated Sampler (ELVIS) probe into a Nearby Previously Invisible Planet (NPIP) to collect soil samples and maintain them in their atmospheric temperatures and pressure. When ELVIS returned from NPIP scientiests discovered that the outer polyurethane layer was completely degraded. As microbiologists our goal was to determine why this degradation occured and to determine whether space microbes were responsible for this reaction. Our job was also to determine if space microbes were responsible for the degradation of the polyeurethane and if so determine their phylogenetic relationship to Earth microbes.

Hypothesis:

Samples from the ELVIS probe contain bacteria native to NPIP and these bacteria cannot be identified as related to earthly bacteria.

Results:

Results: Phylogenetic Analysis

Results: Phenotypic Analysis

Phenotypic characterics of Staphylococcus aureus methicillin

1 micrometer in diamete, Staphylococci are spherical cells, which grow in clusters because staphylococci divide in two planes. Staphylococci are facultative anaerobes growing by aerobic respiration or by fermentation (yielding lactic acid). The bacteria are catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. S. aureus can grow at a temperature range of 15 to 45 degrees making it a mesophile and at NaCl concentrations as high as 15 percent, a extreme halophile. S. aureus forms a fairly large yellow colony on rich medium and is hemolytic on blood agar.

Staphylococcus aureus causes infections and toxinoses in humans, most are pus-forming. skin lesions such as boils, styes and furunculosis are more minor problems caused by S. aureus. Pneumonia, mastitis, phlebitis, meningitis, urinary tract infections; and infections, such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis are major infections that lead to hospitalization. S. aureus is also the cause of food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. It colonizes mainly in nasal passages, but can regularly be found in most other anatomical structures.

Figure 1 (Staphylococcus aureus)

Phenotypic characteristics of Bacillus subtilis:

Bacillus subtilis divides through binary fission and has the ability of generating endospores in harsh conditions. Bacillus subtilis is gram positive, facultative aerobe, rod shaped, and usually catalases positive. Bacillus Subtilis grows as unicellular rods and seldomly in chains. It can grow in average/ medium growth medias which do not materials such as animals and plants. It grows in aerobic conditions and in non acidic foods.

Figure 2 (Bacillus subtilis)

Phenotypic characterics of Proteus vulgaris

Proteus Vulgaris is a rod-shaped gram negative bacterium. It is a chemotroph that inihibits the interstinal tracts of animals and can be pathogenic. The P. Vulgaris is a facultative anaerobe, fermenting sugars and is highly motive. One of its characteristics is that it produces urease which can degrade urea to ammonia. P. Vulgaris lives in mainly in soil, commonly and decomposing organic matter. In humans it can cause urinary tracct infections and wound infections.

Figure 3 (Proteus vulgaris)

Figure legend:

* Sequence one has been determined to be isolate culture A and has been identified as the Earthly organism Staphylococcus aureus shown above in Figure 1.

* Sequence two has been determined to be isolate culture G and has been identfied as the Earthly organism Bacillus subtilis shown above in Figure 2.

* Sequence three has been determined to be isolate culture C and has been identified as the Earthly organism Proteus vulgaris shown above in Figure 3.

CITE WORK***

Conclusion

Our phylogenetic data does not support the initial hypothesis that "samples from the ELVIS probe contain bacteria native to NPIP and these bacteria cannot be identified as related to earthly bacteria." This is due to the fact that the microorganisms cultured did not come from outer space for the RNA sequencing for each microbe matched those on Earth by 100%.

Organism two does not support the hypothesis.When running a sequence match for our organism with sequence number two, a 1.000 similarity score was calculated. This shows organism number 2 culture off of ELVIS has the exact same rRNA sequence as an Earthly organism: Bacillus subtilis.