NEW YORK: When ancient Eurasians first began brewing the vinegary, tea-based beverage known as Kombucha, they could not have fathomed that it would one day be shot into space as part of an effort to explore the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
Even to a member of modern society, the idea of bolting a container filled with the slimy mixture of bacteria and yeast that ferment Kombucha tea to the outside of a spaceship may seem like something from the science and technology section of The Onion. But news of this experiment comes straight from the European Space Agency, as both space Kombucha and the scientific motivation behind it are very real.
Kombucha has become popular in the world of yoga enthusiasts and homeopathic hipsters for its supposed health benefits, but scientists have taken interest in the ancient brew due to the remarkable resilience of the microorganisms that produce it. A mixture of various bacteria and yeasts feast on the sugars in tea to create the acidic, slightly alcoholic fermented beverage. As they perform the fermentation, they form a slimy cake of micro-critters that looks like it very well could be from another planet.
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