NASA for the first time check, such as human spermatozoa behave in space
Source:
The crew of the International space station will soon begin not only quite interesting but also very important from the perspective of space colonization experiment. Truck Dragon private aerospace company, SpaceX has delivered to the ISS frozen stocks of germ cells of man. The objective of the experiment – check how they behave in space.
"Past experiences on the sperm of bulls and sea urchins showed that the sex cells begin to move earlier in microgravity than on Earth, but they are worse or almost not merge with the eggs. All this can cause problems with conceiving children in space" — quotes the words of the representative of the NASA portal Space.com.
To date, one of the main dangers that stand in the way of our becoming a "planet view", is associated with high levels of cosmic radiation. Experts say that the biggest threat is the radiation, while germ cells are forced to pass through several phases of divisions before they become ready for fertilization.
However, earlier experiments on the reproduction of insects, fishes, sea urchins and other animals, conducted onboard the ISS, showed that nothing in principle prevents procreation in weightlessness, however, the germ cells of primates such experiments have not been conducted. In addition, experiments to assess the viability of the offspring was not carried out in principle because of the technical impossibility to breed hundreds of mice or other animals on Board the station at the same time.
The First experiments on human germ cells will begin aboard the ISS in the coming days and weeks. The station crew thawed sperm samples, derived recently in orbit, and send the sperm to "swim freely".
First you're going to treat these cells with two sets of signaling molecules that mimic the chemical environment of the uterus. One of them will cause the sperm to move independently, and the second will start the chain of reactions leading to their fusion with the egg. The station crew will get a few dozen photos of the cells and then freeze them and send them back to Earth for further study.
These experiments, as biologists hope, will help to understand whether there are differences in the behavior of human and animal germ cells during life in space, and show how it is possible "natural" conception in zero gravity.
Recommended
Can genes create the perfect diet for you?
Diet on genotype can be a way out for many, but it still has a lot of questions Don't know what to do to lose weight? DNA tests promise to help you with this. They will be able to develop the most individual diet, because for this they will use the m...
How many extraterrestrial civilizations can exist nearby?
If aliens exist, why don't we "hear" them? In the 12th episode of Cosmos, which aired on December 14, 1980, co-author and host Carl Sagan introduced viewers to the same equation of astronomer Frank Drake. Using it, he calculated the potential number ...
Why does the most poisonous plant in the world cause severe pain?
The pain caused to humans by the Gimpi-gympie plant can drive him crazy Many people consider Australia a very dangerous place full of poisonous creatures. And this is a perfectly correct idea, because this continent literally wants to kill everyone w...
Related News
Fast food not to blame! Found the bacteria that cause obesity
Obesity has become truly a scourge of the XXI century, and it is not surprising that this problem began to be studied particularly closely. Scientific papers on the subject of excess weight regulations on its control and origin a ...
Scientists have figured out why "junk" DNA
researchers from the Institute of life Sciences at the University of Michigan and the Medical Institute of Howard Hughes was identified as satellite DNA, which was considered «junk DNA» plays a critical role in the Assem...
What the dinosaurs go extinct? A new theory
Some experts have long believe that the reason for the extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was the fall of a massive asteroid. However, the new analysis Professor of psychology at the University of Albany suggests tha...
A deficiency of phosphorus in the Universe reduces the chances for extraterrestrial life
crab nebula Exploring space in search of signs of life astronomers, as a rule, pay attention to the presence and concentration of such chemical elements as carbon and oxygen. However, another element that has a very important mean...
Google employees spoke against the company assistance the Pentagon
last month it became known that Google has offered their resources to the Ministry of defense for the Maven project, a research initiative to develop computer vision algorithms that can analyze the videos. In response, more than 3...
Astronomers have found several thousand black holes in the center of the milky Way
the Astronomers at Columbia University in new York found a whole galaxy of several thousand ordinary black holes around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius a*, located in the center of our galaxy. Scientists say that observati...
Astronomers have found several thousand black holes in the center of the milky Way
the Astronomers at Columbia University in new York found a whole galaxy of several thousand ordinary black holes around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius a*, located in the center of our galaxy. Scientists say that observati...
To deprive of Mars's magnetic field could hydrogen
the Lost Mars ' magnetic field could "drown" in the core of the planet. Excess hydrogen resulting from the splitting of water molecules and accumulated in the Martian mantle could stop convection (heat exchange) off so the magneto...
Another star system was sterilized from any possible life
From the report Eike Gunther from the German Observatory, Karl Schwarzschild submitted on scientific conference held in the framework of the European week of astronomy and space science, it became known that the powerful x-ray rad...
Incredible luck allowed us to get a photo while the most distant stars
Due to the effect of gravitational lensing space telescope "Hubble" was able to get pictures of the stars, distant from us 9 billion light years, which at the moment is a record of observations of a single object located far from ...
In a secret laboratory Google want to force the AI to grow food
Alphabet X (), secret lab parent company Google, — the place behind a closed door, in which were born and continue to be born with the most incredible ideas — Google Glass, Project Loon and more. Astro teller, head X, shared...
Scientists want to find out whether we are quantum computers
There is a hypothesis, or rather a set of hypotheses, according to which our brain represents not that other, as biochemical quantum computer. At the core of these ideas lies the assumption that consciousness is inexplicable on th...
"Roscosmos" experienced parachute for landing on Mars
«Roskosmos» reports that in preparation of the joint Russian-European mission "Eczemas-2020", the developers conducted a low-altitude testing of the parachute system, which is planned to carry out a soft landing of the R...
Astronomers have discovered a galaxy in which there are almost no dark matter
About 65 million light years away is galaxy NGC 1052-DF2. She has one very interesting feature, really puzzled by scientists. The fact that this galaxy is almost no dark matter. About his discovery, the researchers shared in the j...
Metal foam was stronger military reservation
an Army armor serves as a faith and truth, saving the lives of soldiers for years. But military experts always strive to improve their technology. For example, recently, scientists from the University of North Carolina, together w...
Promising a vaccine against cancer are beginning to experience the people
In February this year, the journal Science Translational Medicine published a very promising material: the experimental cancer vaccine showed high efficacy in trials on laboratory mice. Even more joyous news to many will certainly...
Not just attracted the attention of the mysterious star KIC 8462852 in the constellation Cygnus, also known as the star Tabby, again a wink to the scientists. Tabetha, Boyajian, a planetary scientist from Yale University, who firs...
Discovered a previously unknown structure of connective tissue
it May seem that in the human body all studied up and down, but this is not so. For example, last year scientists found , not so long ago, as reported by the publication of Scientific Reports, was discovered the new structure of t...
The launch of the Indian lunar vehicle "Chandrayaan-2" postponed to autumn
Indian space research organization reports that the previously scheduled for April 23 start of the automatic lunar lander «Chandrayaan-2» postponed to October 2018, — the newspaper Times of India with reference to ...
The Indian space Agency is developing a lunar "needle" for future colonists
Indian space research organization began to study inexpensive, but practical ways of living built the lunar module. Previously, the team of scientists participating in the project had developed interplanetary space module that wen...
Comments (0)
This article has no comment, be the first!