The child Hawaiian bobtail squid have been blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station
Dozens of child squid from Hawaii are in space for research.
The child Hawaiian bobtail squid have been raised on the University of Hawaii’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory and have been blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station.
Researcher Jamie Foster, who accomplished her doctorate on the University of Hawaii, is finding out how spaceflight impacts the squid in hopes of bolstering human well being throughout lengthy space missions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on June 21.
The squid have a symbiotic relationship with pure micro organism that assist regulate their bioluminescence.
When astronauts are in low gravity their physique’s relationship with microbes modifications, mentioned University of Hawaii professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who Ms. Foster studied underneath within the Nineteen Nineties.
Ms. Foster is now a Florida professor and principal investigator for a NASA programme that researches how microgravity impacts the interactions between animals and microbes.
“As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what’s called dysregulated. It doesn’t function as well,” Ms. Foster mentioned.
“Their immune systems don’t recognize bacteria as easily. They sometimes get sick.” Ms. Foster mentioned understanding what occurs to the squid in space may assist clear up well being issues that astronauts face.
The child squid will come again to Earth in July.
