Developing mouse embryos in space...indicating the possibility of human reproduction far from Earth

Weather of Arabia - With the expansion of human ambition towards space exploration and movement towards the stars, new questions arise about our future, and among these questions, the only thing that has not yet been tested is our ability to reproduce and develop new generations in an environment with low gravity and radiation outside the Earth’s atmosphere. ; Hence the scientists' experiment, which is entitled Mouse Embryos in Space.

Mouse embryo growth experiment on the International Space Station

An experiment conducted by researchers on the International Space Station showed that mouse embryos developed normally, suggesting the possibility of humans reproducing in space , according to Japanese scientists in August 2021. The researchers, including Professor Teruhiko Wakayama from the Center for Advanced Biotechnology at Yamanashi University. A team from the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) sent frozen mouse embryos to the International Space Station using a rocket.

At the station, the embryos were thawed using a special device , and they were implanted for 4 days . The researchers indicated that the embryos that grew in low gravity conditions developed naturally into blastocysts, and the study, which was published on the website of the scientific journal “iScience” on October 28, 2023 , It showed that gravity had no significant effect on the reproduction of mice, as there were no significant changes in the state of their DNA and genes after analysis of blastocysts (cells that develop into an embryo and placenta), which were returned to laboratories on Earth.

The first research to show the possibility of breeding outside Earth

Yamanashi University and the Riken National Research Institute confirm in a joint statement the importance of this study as it is the first research to show that mammals may be able to reproduce in space, and this is considered the first global experiment to develop mammalian embryos at an early stage in microgravity conditions that takes place inside the International Space Station.

They stress the importance of developing blastocysts in microgravity on the International Space Station in the future, to examine the possibility of giving birth to mammals with the aim of verifying their nature, and this research is of great importance in the context of future space missions.

Within the framework of the "Artemis" program, the US space agency "NASA" plans to send humans back to the moon to gain knowledge about how to live there in the long term, and to prepare for the future trip to Mars in the late 2030s.

Cultivating mammalian embryos in space opens new horizons for space research

This extraordinary experiment, led by molecular biologist Teruhiko Wakayama of Yamanashi University, showed impressive results in the ability of mouse embryos, at least in the first stage, to survive in the space environment.

Speaking to New Scientist magazine, Wakayama said:

“It may be possible in the future to become pregnant during space missions to Mars, where the journey could take more than six months, and we are conducting extensive research to ensure that we can safely deliver children if the time comes to do so.”

It is worth noting that the question of whether mammalian embryos can develop in a microgravity environment has been the focus of attention of scientists for a long time, and the team led by Wakayama had previously conducted research in 2009, which showed that simulating microgravity negatively affects the development of embryos.

But current experiments have focused on early embryo development. Mouse embryos were fertilized and developed to the two-cell stage, then frozen and transported to the International Space Station for transplantation. Since their survival is a positive sign, we must also take into account other possible influences that may be responsible for this decrease in survival in space.

There is a lot of future work to be done to understand whether space convection is possible. We must take into account the effects of high radiation in space, which is far greater than levels on Earth. There are many other aspects to consider, including the cessation of development in The blastocyst stage and the effect of combat on mammalian embryo development in space. Despite current progress, the effects of space on the development of embryos and mammals in general need to be studied more closely.

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Sources:

sciencealert

aljazeera