Mouse gives birth to pups after returning from space mission in China

Of the four mice involved in a recent mission aboard Chinas space station one female has now successfully birthed healthy offspring on Earth the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization CSU of the Chinese Academy of Sciences CAS said on SaturdayThe four mice two male and two female were sent into space aboard the Shenzhou21 crewed spaceship on October 31 and were housed in a specialised habitat on the space station before returning to Earth on November 14 Xinhua news agency reportedAfter their return one female conceived and later delivered nine pups on December 10 Six of the newborns have survived a rate considered normal Researchers have noted that the mother is nursing normally and the pups appear active and healthyThis mission showed that shortterm space travel did not impair the reproductive capability of the mouse said Wang Hongmei a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the CASIt also provides invaluable samples for the investigation of how the space environment influences early developmental stages in mammals Hongmei addedThe rodents were transported to Chinas space station to be raised in orbit for five to seven days marking the countrys first scientific experiments involving mammalian models in spaceAs a key model animal in the field of life sciences the mice feature several advantages high genetic similarity to humans small body size and short reproductive cycle and a high amenability to genetic modification said Huang Kun an expert from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences CASThese traits make them ideal for studying physiological and pathological processes as well as the growth development and reproduction of living organisms in space he saidThe project jointly led by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics and the Institute of Zoology both under the CAS involved continuous multidimensional video monitoring of the mice throughout their stay in orbitThe lighting inside the mice experiment facility turned on at 7 am and off at 7 pm maintaining the same circadian rhythm as on Earth explained Li Tianda an associate researcher at the Institute of ZoologyThe rodent food was not only nutritionally balanced but also made it relatively hard to reduce crumbs and meet the mices teethgrinding habit A directional air flow within the facility is designed to blow hair faeces and other garbage into a collection container ensuring a clean and hygienic environment for the mice Li saidBy collecting preliminary data on stress responses and adaptation mechanisms in microgravity the scientists aimed to use these observations to decode how weightlessness and enclosed space influence mices behavioursAfter completing their orbital mission the mice astronauts returned to Earth aboard the Shenzhou20 spaceship for further analysisPrevious animal experiments conducted in the Chinese space lab involved zebra fish and fruit fliesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever