Biofilms: from the cradle of life to life support

Abstract

Biofilms are intricately associated with life on Earth, enabling functions essential to human and plant systems, but their susceptibility to spaceflight stressors and functional disruption in space remains incompletely understood. During spaceflight, biofilms have largely been considered as potential infrastructure, life support or infection risks. This review focuses on the prevailing beneficial roles of biofilms in human and plant health, and examines evidence of biofilm adaptability in space environments.