Japanese researchers were able to prove for the first time the feasibility of mammal reproduction in space, by successfully cultivating mouse embryos aboard the International Space Station. We used ChatGPT to understand the experiment and its implications.
Yamachi University and the Riken National Research Institute jointly announced "the first-ever study to show mammals may thrive in space." The experiment was initiated by Truhiko Wakayama, a molecular biologist at the university's Center for Advanced Biotechnology, in collaboration with a team from the Japan Space Agency, to answer a crucial question: Can the embryo of an animal suckling on Earth develop normally in the zero-gravity environment of space?
To answer the question, early developmental mouse embryos, kept in a frozen state, were launched to the space station aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in August 2021. After arriving at the space station, the astronauts used a special device to defrost the embryos. The embryos were then cultured under microgravity conditions for four days. These samples were later returned to Earth, and here researchers carefully tested and compared them with mouse embryos cultivated in Earth's normal gravitational environment.
The results, published this week in the journal iScience, are optimistic: the study revealed that embryos cultured under microgravity conditions evolved into blastocysts – a crucial stage in early development. They exhibited a normal number of cells, suggesting that gravity had no significant effect on blastocyst formation and initial differentiation of mammalian embryos in space. Furthermore, the study showed that, given the opportunity, these blastocysts can progress to mouse embryos without significant changes in DNA or changes in gene expression. However, it was noted that the survival rate of embryos raised on the space station was slightly lower compared to those bred on Earth.
This research is the first milestone on the way to the next era of space exploration, in which many countries plan to send astronauts on missions in space and on other planets that will not last days, weeks or even months, as has been the case until now – but for many years. The goal is to establish real human colonies on the Moon, Mars and eventually even further afield. To this end, understanding the possibilities of human reproduction in space is essential to sustain these colonies.
The next step in this study is to implant the space-processed blastocysts into mice to determine if they can develop and be born as healthy mice. The researchers emphasized the importance of this step in confirming the "normal" development of blastocysts in microgravity. Another aspect of the research that warrants further study is the effect of radiation in space on the growth of mammalian embryos.
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