23 April 2017 / 22:54 UTC-07 Tango 06 (03 Ordibehest 1396/26 Rajab 1438/28 Jia Chen 4715)
“We hope to get an initial understanding about the space micro-gravity effects on stem cell proliferation and differentiation.”-Duan Enkui, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Inside the cargo compartment of space-freighter Tianzhou-1
Aboard China’s new and just launched Tianzhou-1 space-freighter an experiment like no other is taking place; making space babies!
Among other experiments Chinese scientists are using human stem cells to test the viability of Earthlings being able to have sex, I mean conceive children in a weightless environment.
To make it even more interesting, the scientist conducting the experiment are still on Earth. They’ll be using remote sensing technology to ‘get-it-on’ in space.
On top of that, they hope to discover the ability to help Earthlings regrow new organs and limbs: “Maybe scientists will be able to induce stem cells to grow into certain tissues or organs in space in the future to serve people on earth. In another scenario, if a human is injured and loses organs in future space migration, the lost organs might be regenerated……We expect to continue our research into embryonic stem cells on China’s future space station. We aim to try to culture functional tissues, such as heart, kidney, liver and spleen tissues.”-Lei Xiaohua, Chinese Academy of Sciences