Mouse Returns from Space and Gives Birth to Healthy Offspring

In a groundbreaking scientific achievement, the Space Technology and Engineering Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced the successful outcome of an unprecedented space experiment, where a female mouse gave birth to healthy offspring after returning from a mission aboard the Chinese space station.

Details of the Space Mission

Four mice were sent into space on October 31 aboard the Shenzhou-21 crewed spacecraft, where they lived in a designated environment within the space station.

The mice returned to Earth on November 14, and one of the females gave birth to nine pups on December 10, six of which survived and showed clear signs of good health and normal activity.

Healthy Offspring and Natural Care

Researchers confirmed that the mother cared for her pups naturally after giving birth, and the young mice displayed evident vitality, considered a positive indicator of healthy growth following exposure to the space environment.

Scientists: Space Did Not Affect Fertility

Wang Hongmei, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the experiment's results demonstrated that short-duration space travel does not negatively impact the reproductive capacity of mice.

She added that the data collected during the mission is scientifically valuable for understanding the effects of space on the early stages of mammalian development.

Unexpected Challenges in Orbit

The mission faced unforeseen difficulties due to a schedule change for the return of the Shenzhou-20 mission, leading to a temporary food shortage.

The scientific team managed the crisis by providing water and using soy milk as a temporary food substitute until the situation was fully secured.

Artificial Intelligence Monitors Life in Space

Researchers employed an advanced monitoring system supported by artificial intelligence to track the mice's behavior, sleep, and feeding patterns in real time, assisting scientific teams in making prompt and accurate decisions during the mission.

Pioneering Experiment in China

The University of Chinese Sciences confirmed that this mission marks the first comprehensive space experiment involving mammals in the history of China's space program, covering all stages from pre-launch preparation to in-orbit experimentation and the analysis of results.

A Step Towards Broader Space Research

Scientists noted that this achievement paves the way for more extensive space experiments involving mammals, focusing on tracking the growth of offspring post-birth and studying their reproductive capabilities in the future.

Researchers believe these studies could reveal, for the first time, the effects of space travel across generations, which holds significant implications for the future of long-duration space flights and space colonization.