Through decades of human spaceflight, astronauts have found ways to adapt to life in space. Now scientists want to know if plants can do the same. To answer that question, researchers cultivated a space-borne scattering of thale cress in an experiment chamber aboard the International Space Station. The small flowering plants were genetically programmed to fluoresce green under stress so scientists could study the cellular effects of growing in space. The results to date suggest plants are remarkably adaptable to living in this novel environment, even though much remains to be understood. Watch the video to learn more.
Please give credit for this item to: Science@NASA and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Cover image courtesy of NASA/Don Petit ISS image courtesy of NASA Thale cress image courtesy of ESA Gel plate and fluorescence images courtesy of University of Florida/Robert Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul
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