China To Send Monkeys To Space To Study How They Reproduce There: Report

The experiment will be conducted in the space station’s largest module.

China is reportedly planning to send monkeys to its newly launched Tiangong space station to study how they grow and reproduce in zero gravity. To quote Chinese scientists Zhang Lu, head of scientific research on the state of space, South China Morning Post reported that the experiment will be conducted in the space station’s largest module, mainly used for experiments in the life sciences.

Mr. Zhang said that after studying smaller creatures like fish and snails, “some research involving mice and monkeys (monkeys) will be done to see how they grow or even reproduce in space like how”. He believes these experiments will help improve understanding of an organism’s ability to adapt to microgravity and other spatial environments.

However, according to the report, experts point out that there are still some difficulties involved in studying complex life forms such as mice and primates. They note that Soviet researchers during the Cold War era managed to find a few mice to overcome physical and copulation challenges during an 18-day spaceflight. But there was no sign of pregnancy and none of them gave birth after returning to Earth.

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Kehkooi Kee, a professor at the medical school at Tsinghua University, says that the challenges of a life science experiment in space increase exponentially with the size of the animals used. He added: “Astronauts will need to feed them and dispose of their waste.

The researchers also note that some previous ground-based experiments suggested that the absence of gravity could damage the testes and several other reproductive organs, leading to a significant decline in sex hormones. of test animals.

But Mr Kee also went on to say that as larger animals, especially monkeys, have more similarities with humans and as more countries are planning to settle permanently in orbit around the Moon or Mars, then “these experiments will be necessary”.