It turns out that embryos can grow in space. Scientists have found that after launching mouse embryos in China's first microgravity satellite, SJ-10, they continued to grow and successfully develop in space during a 96-hour period.
Currently, all sorts of research is being done on how microgravity impacts animals and even plants. This is especially important as space agencies prepare missions to Mars. Scientists are currently studying how the body is impacted by space in order to prepare for long-term space travel.
"The human race may still have a long way to go before we can colonize space but, before that, we have to figure out whether it is possible for us to survive and reproduce in outer space like we do on Earth," said Duan Enkui, a professor at the Institute of Zoology affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who was involved in the latest space experiment. "Now, we have finally proven that the most crucial step in our reproduction-early embryo development-is possible in outer space."
The embryos developed all the way into blastocysts, the point at which they implant themselves into the cell wall to continue growth. This means that the early stages of development are actually possible in microgravity.
In this latest experiment, 6,000 mouse embryos were blasted into outer orbit inside a self-sufficient, enclosed chamber. Researchers then monitored the development of the cells from Earth through photos that were beamed back to our planet every four hours.
This is the first time since NASA that this has been attempted. NASA's STS-80 Spacecraft in 1996 sent 49 mouse embryos to see what would happen. However, none of them fully developed.
""Since space experiments are expensive, no one attempted to develop embryos again in the decade following NASA's failure," said David Elad, a professor of biomedical engineering at Tel Aviv University in Israel.
The new findings reveal a bit more about how bodies react to the environment of space. As agencies gear up for longer term space missions and with the potential to create colonies on other planets, it's important to understand how the environment of space impacts health.
SJ-10 is currently expected to land back on Earth in Siziwang Banner in Inner Mongolia at some point next week.
