New research isolates only part of the complex process of reproduction and

development.
A blastocyst usually forms after fertilization and implants in the uterus before
developing into a placenta and fetus.
But the results offer clues for biologists, says Christian Hahn, an astrobiologist
at the European Space Research and Technology Center in Noordwijk, Netherlands.
He was not involved in this study.
The mouse embryos are the first mammalian embryos that researchers have grown in
space, and are an important step toward understanding how space affects human
reproduction.
Other experiments included animals such as salamanders, killifish, and quail.
Previous studies have suggested that the space environment is particularly
harmful to early reproductive stages in mice.
In space, animals are too stressed to mate, and studies of rodent eggs have found
that they accumulate multiple mutations due to the effects of intense radiation.
However, freeze-dried mouse sperm remained viable after six years on the space
station (SN: , 6/11/21).