[zenpaul]

Being a homeowner, hearing an "irritating mould problem" didn't make me think "resilient fungi could lead to new kinds of materials for use in space". It made me think that there are some serious health risks for those astronauts if that mould gets out of control.

Funny nobody mentions that.

[CriticalCathed]

Mold problems are significantly overblown in homes. Even a moderate amount of mold isn't really a significant health risk. It can be a serious problem for people who are allergic, or have compromised immune systems. Even the ever feared "black mold" isn't particularly dangerous.

When a home has a mold problem, the solution often isn't even to clean up the mold. The solution is to figure out why the mold is growing, which is usually humidity problems or leaky pipes or poor ventilation, and deal with that. Once you've got the moisture problem handled the mold issue pretty much goes away.

(don't astronauts have suppressed immune systems or something btw?)

[sorenn111]

I think from the Twin Study they saw changes in the immune system, but not severely compromised. Additionally, NASA astronauts are a highly selective population in pretty strong physical conditions who are lightyears away from those you hear about who have truly suppressed immune systems.