What a wild ride for these space-faring mice! Recently, one of the four little astronauts that hitched a ride aboard China's Shenzhou-21 spacecraft welcomed the first generation of pups back on Earth. 🎉🐭
The mission kicked off on October 31, when the mice entered a specialized small mammal habitat in the Chinese space station. After floating around for two weeks, they touched down on November 14. Scientists from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization at the Chinese Academy of Sciences monitored their health every step of the way.
This month, on December 10, the female mouse gave birth to nine pups—just over a month since landing. Six of those tiny space babes are alive and kicking, matching normal survival rates in Earth-bound labs. This milestone proves that reproductive functions can bounce back after exposure to microgravity and cosmic radiation.
Why it matters: Understanding how space conditions affect biology is key to long-term missions, from lunar bases to Mars trips. These findings help researchers plan for the future of space exploration, where mammals (including us humans) may need to reproduce beyond Earth.
For all you budding bio-geeks and space aficionados in South and Southeast Asia, this breakthrough highlights the cool intersection of tech, science, and exploration. Who knows—you might be studying space-bound ecosystems or crafting the next-gen habitat on Mars! 🌏✨
Stay tuned for more updates as we keep our eyes on the sky—and on our tiny cosmic pals! 🚀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
