Science Illustrated

Mouse sperm sent into space

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Space agencies aim to take us to other planets, but they do not know how that would affect our reproducti­ve system. According to recent scientific research, we need not fear that radiation will cause kids to be born with extra limbs. Japanese scientists have sent frozen mouse sperm to the Internatio­nal Space Station, ISS, orbiting Earth at an altitude of 400 km. Here, radiation is more than 100 times worse than on Earth...

After the trip, the sperm specimens returned to Earth, and scientists used them to fertilize eggs, which they placed in the wombs of female mice. A control group was fertilized with ordinary sperm cells. All pups were healthy and normal.

 ??  ?? After nine months in space, mouse sperm fathered these healthy mouse pups, with no problems (yet).
After nine months in space, mouse sperm fathered these healthy mouse pups, with no problems (yet).

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