APEX-12 (Advanced Plant EXperiment-12) on the ISS

The Advanced Plant EXperiment-12 (APEX-12) experiment, the latest in a series studying how plants grow and survive in the microgravity of the ISS, will be studying the action of a protein called telomerase. Telomeres are sequences of DNA found at the end of chromosomes, which shorten in response to age and stress. Telomerase is a protein that keeps these telomeres a healthy length.

APEX-12 will test how telomerase behavior changes in response to microgravity. This could lead to the development of crops that are more resilient to environmental stressors, such as drought or extreme temperatures. It could also provide insights into therapies for age-related diseases and treatments for diseases in humans that are linked to telomere dysfunction.

This could also enable sustainable agriculture for long-term space missions, lead to strategies for protecting astronauts from the effects of microgravity and space radiation, and inform future efforts to grow plants on the Moon and Mars.