Sunday, November 9, 2014

SPACE PLANTS RETURN TO EARTH

       The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Botany welcomed a truck full of 1000 frozen plants that germinated and were grown in the international space station. The results showed numerous plants actually growing in an weightless environment. It is important to note that these plants are currently deep frozen and will take time to thaw. However, it is said that after they thaw, more than 30,000 genes can be studied by scientists. 


                                                          From: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141106165145.htm

      Astronaut Reid Wiseman injected various fixative solutions into the plants as a precautionary measure so the plant does not rupture in the new environment. The effects of gravity on plants is the main focus of these germinating plants. Because of the weightlessness of space, the plants grow long and thin, and as a result, do not produce strong material. NASA is also attempting a new idea that is said to benefit all researchers that are interested. NASA will make all data available (regarding the space plants) to any and all researchers that want to analyze it. 

      The genetic control of proteins when the plant is in zero gravity was also studied. this action directly affects RNA production and eventually protein production. The experiment by NASA, called the geneLAB, will study one of four variants of Arabidopsis called ecotypes. There will be so much transcription data that many researchers will be needed to encode the numerous plants. The plants can subsequently provide food and oxygen on long trips in space which could be the difference in life and death. I thoroughly enjoyed this article because it is something out of the ordinary. Botany is finally taking off and providing information on plants from out of space. This could potentially lead to research involving migrating to a different planet for example. The possibilities are endless. 


       

2 comments:

  1. I found this article to be quite interesting! Botany is not a subject that I typically find too interesting; however, since plants have been able to grown in space becomes quite fascinating. I find it interesting that although these plants were injected with various solutions, they were still able to grow. This means that they are possibilites of plants living on other plants, and can hold life.

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  2. Very interesting to see that the physical developments and expression of genes of plants are determined by their environment. With further research longer space expeditions may become possible with plants on board to provide fresh oxygen. I also think it'll be interesting to see how these plants react to Earth's gravity. Will they die or will the new environment trigger the development for stronger tissues...

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