China Focus: Taikonauts to conduct in-orbit experiments on fruit flies

BEIJING -- The newly launched Shenzhou XIX taikonauts have embarked on their six-month journey aboard China's space station. Their packed schedule includes 86 sci-tech experiments, with a particularly intriguing one - the fruit fly research, aimed at studying the growth and behaviors of these insects at a distance of 400 km above Earth.

The fruit fly is one of the model species frequently used in genetic experiments. It is small, measuring only 3 to 4 mm in length, and has a short life cycle with fast reproduction capabilities, enabling it to produce a large number of offspring within a short period, according to Zhang Wei, a researcher involved in the selection of in-orbit scientific experiments, at the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"The genes of fruit flies share many similarities with those of humans, so the study can help with understanding human genetic diseases and provide insights into how humans adapt to space environments," Zhang said in a recent interview.

He also noted that future space research plans will involve conducting experiments on mice, which are more complex life forms compared to fruit flies.

"We have planned to send mice to space for breeding on an animal platform. And some lab mice in space may be brought back to Earth for further study, which will focus on their nerves, bones, muscles and immunity," the researcher added.

This is the first time that China has taken the small insects into space, and the aim of the study seems to be exploring the deeper universe.

According to scientists, Earth provides a magnetic field as a basic guarantee for our daily lives, but Mars does not possess similar strong magnetic protection and the moon has none at all. Understanding how the human body responds to such an environment remains a major challenge in space exploration.

"So we have to conduct relevant research in advance, creating a sub-magnetic environment and observing how the fruit flies develop, grow and behave," Zhang said.

China launched the Shenzhou XIX (Magical Ship) crewed spaceship on Oct 30, sending three taikonauts, two male and one female, to its orbiting space station Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) for a half-year stay. The trio in mid-November will witness the arrival of Tianzhou 8 (Sky Ship) cargo craft, which will send up supplies and experiment payloads, including the sub-magnetic facility with fruit flies, according to the researcher.

The previous Shenzhou XVIII crew during their six-month mission also performed numerous experiments inside the national space lab, and one task was creating an "aquarium" and raising four zebra fish and four grams of goldfish algae in zero gravity, a breakthrough in the field of raising vertebrates in space.

Not only the taikonauts found joy in the space "aquarium," but it also paved the way for their future counterparts to enjoy nutritious fish from their own in-orbit harvests.

According to scientists, the water, fish eggs and other experimental samples obtained through the space "aquarium" have been brought back to Earth with the crew on Monday. These samples will provide valuable data for scientists to study vertebrate lives.

Besides life science experiments, the orbiting taikonauts will carry out research on materials, including rare earth soft magnetic materials, blade materials for gas turbines and special functional crystals. These findings will provide insights for developing advanced instruments on Earth.