. 24/7 Space News .
SPACE MEDICINE
Blobs in space: Slime mould to blast off for ISS experiment
By Juliette COLLEN
Paris (AFP) Aug 10, 2021

stock image only

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are set to welcome a most unusual guest, as "the Blob" blasts off into orbit on Tuesday.

An alien on its own planet, the Blob is an unclassifiable organism -- neither fish nor fowl. Nor is it plant, animal or fungus.

As such, Physarum polycephalum -- a type of slime mould -- has long fascinated scientists and will now be part of a unique experiment carried out simultaneously by astronauts hundreds of kilometres above the Earth and by hundreds of thousands of French school students.

The slime mould first appeared on Earth around 500 million years ago, and defies conventional biology because it is made up of one cell with multiple nuclei.

While most organisms grow and reproduce through the division and multiplication of cells, Physarum polycephalum does not.

"It is a single cell that grows without ever dividing," explains Pierre Ferrand, professor of Earth sciences and life seconded to French space agency CNES, one of the people behind the project.

Another oddity: "When most organisms make do with two sex types, the Blob has more than 720. It is an organism 'with drawers' which tells us that life consists of multitude originalities," he says.

- What one's cell can do -

A yellowish, spongy mass, the slime mould lacks a mouth, legs or brain.

Yet despite these apparent disadvantages, the mould eats, grows, moves -- albeit very slowly -- and has amazing learning abilities.

Because the Blob's DNA floats freely around inside its cell walls -- rather than being contained inside a nucleus -- it can "slough off" parts of itself at will.

It can also enter a dormant state by dehydrating -- called "sclerotia".

And it is several pieces of sclerotia that will embark on their odyssey aboard an ISS refuelling freighter.

When rehydrated in September, four sclerotia -- each about the size of the average pinky fingernail -- will be roused from their torpor in their Petri-dish beds.

The samples -- both shorn from the same "parent Blob cell" (labelled by scientists as LU352)-- will undergo two protocols: one will deprive certain sub-Blobs of food; the others will be able to gorge out on a food source -- porridge oats.

The goal is to observe the effects of weightlessness on this organism -- but as an educational experience, a giant school experiment that reaches into space. There are no scientific papers expected as part of the mission's design.

"Nobody knows what its behaviour will be in a microgravity environment: what direction will it move in? Will it take the third dimension by going upwards, or go sideways?" asks Ferrand.

"I'll be curious to see if it develops by forming pillars," says Blob specialist Audrey Dussutour, director for the Centre for Research on Animal Cognition in Toulouse.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, thousands of specimens cut from the same LU352 strain will be distributed to about 4,500 schools and colleges in France.

"More than 350,000 students will 'touch' the Blob," says Christine Correcher, who runs the space agency's educational programme.

At the end of this month, teachers will receive kits containing three to five sclerotia.

When the sections of the Blob are revived in space, their cohorts will also be rehydrated on Earth.

Observations will then begin to compare the differences in how the samples in space adapt compared with those on Earth -- which may cast light on fundamental questions surrounding the basic building blocks of life.


Related Links
Space Medicine Technology and Systems


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


SPACE MEDICINE
Tissue engineering in space could treat age-related muscle loss on Earth
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Aug 10, 2021
An investigation headed for the International Space Station (ISS) on Northrop Grumman's upcoming 16th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission could someday enable rapid advancements in treatments for age-related muscle loss. In an experiment funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), researchers from the Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research and Stanford University are leveraging microgravity to develop a tissue-engineered model of sarcopenia, the age-related deterioration of ske ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SPACE MEDICINE
Northrop Grumman set to launch 16th cargo delivery mission to ISS

NASA, Boeing to Move Starliner to Production Facility for Propulsion System Evaluation

NASA mulls how to dispose of International Space Station

NASA says Russian media allegations US astronaut drilled hole in ISS 'not credible'

SPACE MEDICINE
Musk says next Moon landing will probably be sooner than in 2024

Boeing to remove Starliner from rocket, months-long delay expected

Netflix plans series on historic SpaceX Inspiration4 mission

Next Vega mission to orbit Pleiades Neo 4 EO bird and 4 small science sats

SPACE MEDICINE
Trio of orbiters shows small dust storms help dry out Mars

Mars rock drilling begins after NASA's helicopter helps plan rover's route

NASA is recruiting for yearlong simulated Mars Mission

Is Curiosity exploring surface sediments or lake deposits

SPACE MEDICINE
Chinese rocket for Tianzhou-3 mission arrives at launch site

Tianhe astronauts use free time to watch ping-pong and exercise

Shanxi company helps astronauts keep fit in space

China's space propaganda blitz endures at slick new planetarium

SPACE MEDICINE
Microsoft unveils Australian Space Startup launchpad

Business growth scheme open to next group of space entrepreneurs

BlackSky to expand constellation with three back-to-back missions

Skykraft to begin launch of space-based air traffic management constellation

SPACE MEDICINE
NASA Exploration has LEGS

NSF awards funding for next-generation VLA antenna development

Microsoft protests Amazon win of big US cloud contract

Purdue-designed heat transfer experiment arrives at International Space Station

SPACE MEDICINE
Did nature or nurture shape the Milky Way's most common planets

New ESO observations show rocky exoplanet has just half the mass of Venus

Small force, big effect: How the planets could influence the sun

Astronomers find evidence of possible life-sustaining planet

SPACE MEDICINE
A few steps closer to Europa: spacecraft hardware makes headway

Juno joins Japan's Hisaki satellite and Keck Observatory to solve "energy crisis" on Jupiter

Hubble finds first evidence of water vapor on Ganymede

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for the Europa Clipper Mission









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.