Having babies in space might be difficult after all
What's the story
A team of Chinese scientists has found that the process of human reproduction in space is not as easy as one might think. The researchers from the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics and Tsinghua University studied how human reproductive cells differentiate in microgravity environments. Their findings were published in Science Advances.
Research findings
Early-stage reproductive cells don't grow as well in space
The study discovered that early-stage human reproductive cells don't grow or develop as well in space as they do on Earth.
Specifically, the success rate of generating the earliest precursor germ cells is reduced by nearly 50% in microgravity conditions.
Also, early sperm-producing cells multiply over 25% more slowly than their Earth-bound counterparts.
Influencing factors
First-ever successful differentiation of germ cells in space
The researchers attributed these challenges to microgravity and cosmic radiation, two major factors in space.
The study is a major breakthrough as it is the first time human embryonic stem cells have been successfully differentiated into germ cells in space.
This research could have important implications for future human reproduction in outer space environments.