2023-10-29 13:25:00
Japanese scientists sent frozen mouse embryos aboard a rocket to the International Space Station before culturing them on the ISS. A success which might prove to be a success for the future colonization of space by humans.
Mouse embryos were grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and developed normally, indicating it may be possible for humans to reproduce in space, Japanese scientists said in a study published online in the scientific journal iScience SATURDAY.
Mouse embryos frozen on the ISS
The researchers, including Teruhiko Wakayama, a professor at the Center for Advanced Biotechnology at Yamanashi University, and a team from Japan’s Jaxa space agency, sent frozen mouse embryos aboard a rocket to the International Space Station ( ISS) in August 2021.
The astronauts thawed the embryos at an early stage using a specially designed device and cultured them on board the station for four days.
“Embryos grown in microgravity conditions developed normally into blastocysts,” the scientists said. Blastocysts are cells that develop into a fetus and placenta.
“Mammals capable of thriving in space”,
The experiment “clearly demonstrated that gravity had no significant effect,” the researchers said.
They also clarified that there were no significant changes in the state of the DNA and genes, following analyzing the blastocysts that were returned to their laboratories on Earth.
This is “the very first study showing that mammals might be able to thrive in space”, highlighted Yamanashi University and the Riken National Research Institute in a joint press release published on Saturday.
It is also “the world’s first experiment to culture mammalian embryos at an early stage in total microgravity on the ISS”.
Crucial research for the colonization of space
“In the future, it will be necessary to transplant blastocysts grown in microgravity on the ISS into mice to see if the mice can give birth” to confirm that the blastocysts are normal, the statement added.
This research might prove crucial for future space exploration and colonization missions.
As part of its Artemis program, NASA plans to send humans back to the Moon to learn how to live there long term and prepare for a trip to Mars in the late 2030s.
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