SPACE PUPS BORN FROM MOUSE SPERM STORED ON ISS

MOUSE SPERM STORED ON AN INDIAN SPACE STATION IN A FREEZE DRIED FORM

The Japanese researchers behind the new work, which they published on June 11 in a news paper, wanted to know how space radiation affects fertility in mammals. As we know the radiation can damage the DNA within cells , causing mutations (this is why dermatologists recommend using sunscreen)  & also Environments on Earth with heavy radiation exposure can cause defects in the offspring of animals.

Japanese researchers found mouse sperm exposed to high levels of cosmic radiation for nearly six years produced a large brood of healthy, unremarkable "space pups."

The sperm was stored in the International Space Station in freeze-dried form.

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To clear ,

What is cosmic radiation ?

Cosmic radiation is an ionizing radiation produced when primary photons and α particles from outside the solar system interact with components of the earth's atmosphere.

NSRL is one of the few facilities in the world follows high-LET radiation sources found in space to test their effects on biological material. 

]

Here we've a doubt why they choose freeze-dried form,to clear this -  Freeze-dried sperm was selected for the experiment because it can be preserved at room temperature, rather than needing a freezer . Researchers freeze-dried mouse sperm samples from 12 mice and sealed them within small lightweight capsules. The capsules are ampoules .The ampoules were also small and very light, about the size of a small pencil, further cutting launch costs.

[

To clear ,

What is Ampoules ?

Ampoules are usually made of glass . An ampoule is a small sealed vial which is used to contain and preserve a sample, usually a solid or liquid.

]

The process of freeze drying sperm increases its tolerance compared to fresh sperm, since the former does not contain water inside its cell nuclei and cytoplasms.

According to the team's calculations, freeze-dried sperm could be stored for up to 200 years on board the orbital outpost.

The packets were transported to the ISS and stored for different amounts of time. A portion of the samples returned to Earth after nine months in space, another set returned after two years and nine months, and the final set of mice sperm samples came back after five years and 10 months in space. 

Once back on Earth, the team then determined how much radiation the samples absorbed using RNA sequencing. They found that the ISS trip did not result in DNA damage to the sperm nuclei. 

 They chose to rehydrate the sperm with water, then injected them into fresh mouse ovary cells. After transferring them to female mice, the mothers became pregnant and eventually gave birth to baby mice. 

The "space pups" were born healthy and with no defects, according to the team.

"In the future, when the time comes to migrate to other planets, we will need to mantain the diversity of genetic resources, not only for humans but also for pets and domestic animals," Wakayama , now director for Advanced Biotechnology Center at the University of Yamanashi and colleagues wrote in their paper.

"For cost and safety reasons, it is likely that stored germ cells will be transported by spaceships rather than by living animals."

The study noted it is still necessary to investigate the effects of space radiation on frozen female eggs and fertilized embryos before humans take this next step into the space age.

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