Tianzhou-1 experiments to put stem cells to the space test
Remote controlled study of weak gravity on stem cell division is ‘for long-term goal of space emigration’ says researcher
Will humans one day be able to regrow limbs like lizards, or give birth on board a spaceship?
They sound like questions from science fiction, but they’re actually the subject of remotely controlled experiments on board China’s first cargo spacecraft the Tianzhou-1, which lifted off on Thursday.
Although the unmanned craft’s main job is to deliver fuel and supplies to the orbiting Tiangong-2 space lab it will also play host to a number of ground-breaking scientific experiments, which will be conducted remotely by Earth-based scientists.
A team lead by Tsinghua University professor Kehkooi Kee will research how weak gravity affects the development of human embryonic stem cells in space.
“It’s an important experiment because it is the first step towards directly understanding human reproduction during space exploration,” Kee told Xinhua. “To what extent the human embryonic stem cell can differentiate in space is still unknown. Will the process be delayed? If so, by how much?”
On Earth, it usually only takes six days to form germ cells from the stem cells, and two weeks to form sperm-like or egg-like cells. The experiment on the Tianzhou-1 will last 30 days. Kee said he did not know what stage the cells would progress to in space, although he expected at least the first stage of the primordial germ cells to appear.