NASA Sends Squid From Hawaii Into Space For Research
We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid,” says McFall .
Editorial Staff
NASA Sends Squid From Hawaii Into Space For Research
The baby Hawaiian bobtail squid was raised at the University of Hawaii's Kewalo Marine Laboratory and were blasted into space earlier this month on a SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station. Researcher Jamie Foster, who completed her doctorate at the University of Hawaii, is studying how spaceflight affects the squid in hopes of bolstering human health during long space missions, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The squid has a symbiotic relationship with natural bacteria that help regulate their bioluminescence. When astronauts are in low gravity their body's relationship with microbes changes, said University of Hawaii professor Margaret McFall-Ngai, who Foster studied under in the 1990s. “We have found that the symbiosis of humans with their microbes is perturbed in microgravity, and Jamie has shown that is true in squid,” said McFall-Ngai. “And, because it's a simple system, she can get to the bottom of what's going wrong.” Foster is now …
