University of Birmingham (UK) is preparing water fleas to be sent to International Space Station (ISS), where they will be studied to understand the effect of zero gravity on the living organisms.
The scientists are particularly interested to know how the animals adapt to their new weightless environment: for example, whether their swimming patterns change, whether the animals seem to be stressed, and how their reproduction is affected.
These water fleas, known as 'Daphnia', come from a lake close to the University and are the first animals from UK waters to go into space.
Dr Kay Van Damme from the University of Birmingham's School of Biosciences said that the experiment will help them understand the effect of zero gravity on the living organisms.
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"Little is known of Daphnia in zero gravity. Their swimming behaviour in space can teach us how they experience gravity on Earth and their reproduction is a good indicator of stress. By understanding the health of water fleas in orbit, we can assess their use as models for human health under the same conditions, and their use for setting up simple ecosystems that can survive long space travels," Van Damme said.
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In preparation for the flight, scientists at Birmingham have to ascertain how much algae the animals will need to feed on while they are at the space station and also if they can survive in the cold temperatures they will be exposed to on their journey.
Once they have arrived at the ISS, the astronauts on board will carry out regular observations of the water fleas, recording their behaviour each day by noting down their movement patterns and taking photographs through a special camera attached to a microscope on board.