Space Pups
One of the many issues about deep-space travel is the problem of space radiation but a new study on mice sperm suggests it’s not really a concern, Science News reported.
Japanese researchers found that freeze-dried mouse sperm remained viable after living nearly six years aboard the International Space Station.
The team freeze-dried the reproductive cells of 12 mice to allow them to be stored at room temperature. They later sent the sperm to the space station, while also keeping a control batch on Earth.
After they returned to Earth, scientists rehydrated them and injected them into fresh mouse eggs. The newly born “space pups” turned out to be very healthy and had no genetic differences with their Earth-bound siblings.
Previously, scientists worried that chronic exposure to space radiation would cause cancer and other diseases in astronauts. They also feared it could mutate astronauts’ DNA, mutations that could be passed to their offspring.
However, the research team also reported that the space pups had children and grandchildren of their own, and each one was healthy.
The findings offer evidence that deep-space travelers could safely have children, but there are a few caveats.
The ISS is partially shielded from radiation thanks to the Earth’s magnetic field. Moreover, space radiation partially damages DNA by destroying the water molecules in cells.
Water is non-existent in freeze-dried sperm cells, which could make them resistant to radiation.
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