NASA sends squid into space for studies

WORLD, (June 22, 2021).- Dozens of Hawaiian squid were sent to the International Space Station for a study as part of a study. The Cephalopods were sent on a SpaceX resupply mission.

Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects squid, hoping to use the knowledge gained to support human health during long space missions, a local Honolulu newspaper reported on Monday, June 21.

“The squid has a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate its bioluminescence. When astronauts are in low-gravity environments, their body’s relationship to microbes changes,” said Margaret McFall-Ngai, a professor at the University of Hawaii who taught Foster in the 1990s.

“We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is disturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that to be true in squid. And, because it is a simple system, researchers can get to the bottom of what is failing.”

Margaret McFall-Ngai

Interactions between animals and microbes

Now Foster teaches in Florida and is the head investigator for a NASA program studying how microgravity affects interactions between animals and microbes.

“As astronauts spend more and more time in space, their immune systems become what is called dysregulated. Their organisms don’t work that well, and their immune systems don’t recognize bacteria that easily. Sometimes they get sick ”.

Jamie Foster

Foster said that understanding what happens to squids in space could help solve the health problems astronauts face.

“There are aspects of the immune system that just don’t work properly on long-duration space flights,” she said. “If human beings want to spend time on the Moon or Mars, we have to solve the health problems so that they get there safely.”

Jamie Foster

The Kewalo Marine Laboratory raises squid for research projects around the world. The tiny animals abound in Hawaiian waters, growing to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) when adults.

Source: Noticieros Televisa