Scientists have proved the possibility of “cosmic” conception of children.
The freeze-dried mouse sperm, which spent nine months in space, successfully impregnated female mice and created healthy offspring.
Teruhiko Wakayama of Yamanashi University in Japan and his colleagues sent freeze-dried sperm from 12 males mice to the International space station (ISS) in August 2013. Samples were stored in a freezer with a temperature of -95 C for nine months, before to fly back to Earth on the vehicle SpaceX-3.
When the sperm came back, Wakayama and his team analyzed its DNA. They found that it was torn in several places — most likely due to exposure to cosmic radiation. Radiation levels on the ISS to 100 times higher than on Earth, because the station is not protected by the atmosphere and magnetic field of the planet.
However, this damage appears not to affect the health of the fetus or offspring. Females males implanted with sperm using IVF had the same fertility as those that have been impregnated with freeze-dried sperm, not exposed to space.
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