QUAIL EGGS IN OUTER SPACE

QUAIL EGGS IN OUTER SPACE

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Wireless Flash) – Could human embryos develop normally in outer space? Scientists at Purdue University have hatched a plan to find out using quail eggs. When Space Shuttle Endeavor takes off tomorrow (Dec. 4), among the passengers will be 36 Japanese quail eggs, some of which will be kept in a centrifuge mimicking earth’s gravity, and some in zero gravity. The eggs will then return home after 10 days to see how they developed and whether or not they survived. Purdue professor Ronald Hullinger will study the circulatory system of the embryos and suspects the eggs kept in the centrifuge will develop normally, but those in zero gravity won’t. It may sound bird-brained but Hullinger says the tests can help scientists determine if human embryos could survive a Mars expedition.

Mon 12-03-01