by Xinhua writer Zhang Dan
BEIJING, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Can fruit flies reproduce in space? How do they behave in the space environment, without the Earth gravity or a geomagnetic field? Since the first batch of fruit flies arrived aboard China's Tianzhou-8 cargo craft last November, scientists have been closely monitoring them to explore these intriguing questions.
The very first question for scientists was whether fruit flies could hatch from their pupae in microgravity. A thrilling moment was captured on video early on the morning of Nov. 19, 2024, when a tiny fruit fly emerged from its pupa and surveyed its unfamiliar surroundings, marking the first birth of a fruit fly aboard China's space station.
Soon after, more fruit flies hatched and, initially disoriented, they floated and bumped within the chamber.
The research team from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was especially focused on determining whether these space-born flies could mate and produce offspring.
To ensure clearer observation, Chinese astronauts transferred the fruit flies to a new breeding chamber. Every step of the process -- from courtship and mating to egg-laying, larval development, pupation and the emergence of the next generation of adult fruit flies -- was carefully documented. It wasn't until these stages were successfully completed that Li Yan and her research team could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
To date, the fruit flies have successfully bred three generations in orbit, with over four terabytes of video data documenting their growth, sleep patterns, locomotor activity and reproductive behaviors.
The research team is now analyzing the biological effects of microgravity and the absence of Earth's magnetic field, as well as their combined impact, marking a significant advancement in China's space biology research.
IDEAL MODEL
Fruit flies have long been prized in scientific research due to their rapid reproduction, ease of breeding, and complex behaviors. With a genetic makeup that closely resembles that of humans, they can also learn and adapt to new environments, making them an ideal model for studying life in space.
The first fruit flies aboard China's space station are helping researchers explore how hypomagnetic and microgravity conditions impact genes, behaviors and reproductive capacity.
In the space lab, the flies were divided into two groups. Both groups lived in microgravity, but one was placed in a magnetic shielding device to experience the combined effects of microgravity and a hypomagnetic field.
The fruit flies' adaptation to the space environment was truly fascinating. Initially, flapping their wings sent them shooting forward like bullets and marbles, and failure to grab onto walls left them floating. They could only change direction while floating by kicking their legs. However, they quickly adapted, even developing a unique "frog-like" swimming motion that amused researchers. Sometimes, they even somersaulted, according to Sun Yuanjie, a researcher on Li's team.
Before long, the fruit flies began exhibiting behaviors similar to those on Earth, including walking, eating, courtship, mating and reproduction.
PIONEERING RESEARCH
For decades, researchers at the Institute of Biophysics have been studying how hypomagnetic environments affect living organisms. In the early 21st century, Guo Aike, a CAS academician, discovered that exposure to weak magnetic fields impaired the learning and memory abilities of fruit flies across generations.
Intriguingly, these abilities were restored when the Earth's magnetic field was reintroduced, suggesting that epigenetic mechanisms play a role in helping organisms adapt to their environmental conditions.
Due to the subtle effects of hypomagnetic fields and the need to observe changes across multiple generations, many researchers viewed the study as highly forward-looking but not immediately productive. As a result, related research experienced a period of dormancy.
Inspired by her mentor, Guo, Li Yan returned to the Institute of Biophysics in early 2010 from Northwestern University in the United States to take on this challenging project, injecting new momentum into the field.
Li and her team meticulously designed the fruit fly experiments in space, carefully controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, light cycles and gas circulation to ensure optimal living conditions for the flies. According to Guo Jing, a member of Li's team, they even sterilized and deodorized the flies' food.
Astronauts collected samples from each generation of fruit flies, which will be brought back to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft.
"We plan to analyze these samples to study behavioral performance and gene expression in space, aiming to uncover the effects of microgravity and hypomagnetic field on animals," Li said.
"Our fruit flies are pioneers in space exploration," Li said, adding that the ultimate goal of this research is to support the future of human space missions.
"In the space environment, where gravity and the magnetic field are absent and radiation levels are relatively high, we need to figure out whether living organisms can adapt and if their brains can continue to function," she said. ■
