China sends embryos into orbit to find out if humans can have babies in space

Artificial embryos sent to the Tiangong space station to study impact of zero-gravity on human development, CCTV reports

China has sent artificial embryos to its space station to study whether humans could reproduce in zero gravity.

The experiment was reported on Tuesday by state broadcaster CCTV.

Project leader Yu Leqian said the main goal was to study the impact of gravity – and its absence – on early development, in preparation for eventual human settlement off Earth.

Once the impact of the force on embryos was understood, scientists could develop interventions to control its effect, he told CCTV.

Yu is a professor and investigator at the State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology of the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“[We might] use certain technologies to mitigate the impact. This is our first attempt to answer [the questions]: Can humans survive and reproduce in space? I hope the answer is yes,” he said.