Working on Oral Biofilms

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet working on Oral Biofilms aboard the International Space Station.

Thomas shared this image on his social media channels with the caption: "Working on the Oral Biofilms experiment (pictures by Megan). Researchers are investigating bacteria and how they form biofilms, and how they adapt to weightlessness. We use the glovebox to keep the experiment fluids contained. We don't want them floating around the space station, thank you! However the bacteria in question grow naturally in our mouths, the research is interested in finding out more about the biofilms that grow on our tongues or teeth. Will they still grow as well in space, and can we find ways to stop them?"

Follow Thomas and his Mission Alpha on his blog.