Worms in Space

Worms launched into Space on April 19.

Studying the impact of space environment on the human body is crucial to develop ways to protect the health of astronauts.

CNES, the French Space Agency, with the support of ESA and the Space Research Organization of the Netherlands, has assembled a team of scientists from France, Canada, Japan and the United States to study reproduction and growth patterns of living organisms during space flight.

As the subject of the research, scientists have chosen C.elegans, a round worm found naturally in soil and measuring no more than 1mm in length. The C.elegans shares many essential biological characteristics with humans and is often used to study embryogenesis, growth, nerve function, behavior and aging.

A scientific payload of live worms will be onboard the Soyouz spacecraft launching on April 19 to bring a crew of astronauts to the International Space Station. The worms will be observed and analyzed upon their return on Earth 11 days later. Dr. Ann Rose, from the department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, leads the Canadian contribution to focus on a specific protein in the worm’s genome that is essential for normal cell division.