Groundbreaking Study: Successfully Cultivated Mouse Embryos on the International Space Station Pave Way for Reproduction in Space

Japanese research: Successfully cultivated mouse embryos on the space station, the first in the world

(AFP, Tokyo, 29th) Japanese scientists said they successfully cultured mouse embryos on the International Space Station and developed normally. This first-of-its-kind research shows that it is possible for humans to reproduce in space.

Researchers such as Professor Teruhiko Wakayama from the Advanced Biotechnology Center of the University of Yamanashi, Japan, and a team from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will transport frozen mouse embryos to the International Space Station via rocket in August 2021.

Astronauts used a specially designed device to thaw these early-stage embryos and cultivate them on the space station for four days.

The researchers said that these embryos cultured in microgravity normally developed into the blastocyst stage, which are cells that can further develop into the placenta and fetus.

The scientific journal iScience published the study online yesterday, in which the researchers mentioned that the experiment “clearly demonstrates that gravity has no significant effect.”

They also said that analysis of blastocyst-stage samples sent back to the Earth laboratory did not reveal any major changes in the status of DNA and genes.

The University of Yamanashi and Japan’s national research institute Riken issued a joint statement yesterday saying that this is “the first study in history to show that mammals may be able to reproduce in space.”

The statement also pointed out that this is the world’s first experiment to completely cultivate early mammalian embryos in the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. In the future, blastocyst-stage embryos cultivated on the space station must be implanted into mice to further examine whether the mice can Reproduction to confirm whether these blastocyst stage embryos are normal.

Such research could be important for future space exploration and colonization missions.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Artemis program plans to send humans to the moon to obtain information on how to live there for a long time. This is expected to be implemented in the late 2030s. Preparing for a Mars mission.

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2023-10-29 12:35:03