(NewsNation) — Mouse embryos were grown on board the International Space Station, a possible indication humans may be able to reproduce in space.
The new experiment is the first time mammalian embryos have been cultivated and grown in space, 250 miles above the planet’s surface.
To carry out the experiment, scientists first fertilized mouse embryos and developed them until a two-cell stage before freezing them and launching them into space. Then, astronauts aboard the ISS thawed the frozen embryos and developed them for four days before sending them back to Earth to be analyzed.
The results of the experiment showed the microgravity environment aboard the ISS had little to no effect on how the embryos developed during the early stages.
Teruhiko Wakayama, a researcher at the University of Yamanashi in Japan, and lead author of the new study, says the results are an important part of the next phase of human spaceflight.
“There is a possibility of pregnancy during a future trip to Mars because it will take more than 6 months to travel there,” Wakayama said in New Scientist. “We are conducting research to ensure we will be able to safely have children if that time comes.”