Chinese scientists are reportedly planning to send monkeys to its new Tiangong space station for experiments that will involve the animals mating and potentially reproducing, the South China Morning Post reports.
It's a fascinating and potentially controversial experiment that could have major implications for our efforts to colonize space: can mammals, let alone humans, successfully reproduce beyond the Earth?
According to the report, the experiment would take place in the station's largest capsule, called Wentian, inside two biological test cabinets that can be expanded.
After examining the behavior of smaller creatures, "some studies involving mice and macaques will be carried out to see how they grow or even reproduce in space," Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said during a speech posted to social media earlier this week, as quoted by the SCMP.
"These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism’s adaptation to microgravity and other space environments," he added.
Some simpler organisms, including nematodes and Japanese rice fish, have been observed reproducing in space.
But more complex life forms have struggled. In 2014, a Russian experiment to see whether geckos could produce offspring in space failed when all the critters died.
And the failure rate for mammals, so far, has been total. Soviet Union scientists got mice to mate during a space flight in 1979, but none of them gave birth after being returned to Earth.
In other words, getting monkeys to reproduce on board a space station will be anything but easy. For one, just dealing with living creatures in space can pose immense challenges. The astronauts will "need to feed them and deal with the waste," Kehkooi Kee, a professor with the school of medicine at Tsinghua University, told the SCMP.
Then there's the fact that astronauts will have to keep the macaques happy and comfortable, something that experts say will be challenging since long term confinement in the spartan environments of space habitats could cause immense stress for the simians.
And even if astronauts successfully set the mood for the monkeys, the physics of sex in space are predicted to be challenging.
"Firstly, just staying in close contact with each other under zero gravity is hard," Adam Watkins, an associate professor of reproductive physiology at University of Nottingham, wrote in a 2020 open letter highlighted by the SCMP. "Secondly, as astronauts experience lower blood pressure while in space, maintaining erections and arousal are more problematic than here on Earth."
With its new space station in nearly full operation, China isn't shying away from asking some big questions — but whether these experiments will play out as expected is anything but certain.
READ MORE: Chinese scientists plan monkey reproduction experiment in space station [South China Morning Post]
More on sex in space: Scientists Say We Really Have to Talk About Boning in Space
The post China Plans to Send Monkeys to Space Station to Have Sex With Each Other appeared first on Futurism.
Read the original post:
China Plans to Send Monkeys to Space Station to Have Sex With Each Other
- How to beat the virus? It's in the Talmud - Jewish News - July 12th, 2020 [July 12th, 2020]
- How Two-and-a-Half Tribes Ended Up Over the Jordan - Chabad.org - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Don't hide from the sins of St. Louis - America Magazine - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- In Defense of King Louis IX | Thomas F. Madden - First Things - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Jesus in the Talmud - Wikipedia - July 13th, 2020 [July 13th, 2020]
- Learning From the Past: Reckless Jewish Kings Through the Ages - Algemeiner - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- The Oral Law -Talmud & Mishna - Jewish Virtual Library - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- The huppah - a beloved object of Jewish art - The Jerusalem Post - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- Fast of the 17th of Tammuz: Times and customs - The Jerusalem Post - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- Peter Beinart's one state solution sounds so perfect it's practically utopian - Haaretz - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- No One Will Change Your Life Like a Teacher - Algemeiner - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- 11 Thoughts and Sayings of Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv Broide the Alter of Kelm - Yeshiva World News - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- Dozens of Jewish graves and tombstones desecrated in the Jewish cemetery in Worms, one of the oldest in Europe - European Jewish Press - July 14th, 2020 [July 14th, 2020]
- Death to Jews, swastikas drawn on gravestones in southern France - Forward - July 17th, 2020 [July 17th, 2020]
- Barbra Streisand classic Yentl returns to big screen at The Drive In - Jewish News - July 17th, 2020 [July 17th, 2020]
- Not all the statues need to come down - Forward - July 17th, 2020 [July 17th, 2020]
- Nick Cannon and several other Black celebrities attended Farrakhans July 4 speech - Forward - July 17th, 2020 [July 17th, 2020]
- Allford: Achoo! Sneezing through the centuries - The Kingston Whig-Standard - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Q & A: Making Up For What We Missed (Part XIII) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- The seed that is sown | Community And Lifestyles - atchisonglobenow.com - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- The End of Anti-Semitism - Aish - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- Eicha - the question that reverberates throughout history - The Jerusalem Post - July 18th, 2020 [July 18th, 2020]
- A Traditional Jewish Approach to the Problem of Evil - My Jewish Learning - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- My article was controversial - and I talked to the haters - Forward - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Guestwords: Let There Be Laughter - East Hampton Star - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- The Terrifying Feeling of Being Alone in the World - Aish - July 19th, 2020 [July 19th, 2020]
- Faith Leaders Demand Action From New York City's Mayor to Ensure Safe Reentry for Those Leaving Rikers Island During COVID-19 Pandemic - Press Release... - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Revision 1.13 The Mishnah and the Talmuds | Dan Peterson - Patheos - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- What's the truth behind wearing face masks? - The Jerusalem Post - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- 12 Facts Every Jew Should Know About the 9 Days - Chabad.org - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Musings of a rabbi in the period of pandemic - Jewish News - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- The Kingly Roots of Kitchri: Lentils With Love - Jewish Journal - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- We've got what it takes to endure these difficult days J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Learn About the Holy Temple in Depth - Texts and Classes Describing the Holy Temple - Chabad.org - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Nation of Islam posts Farrakhans call for Jews to ditch the Talmud & be saved amid Nick Cannon antisemitism debacle - RT - July 21st, 2020 [July 21st, 2020]
- Are Reports Of The Persecution Of Yemenite Jews Completely False? - Yeshiva World News - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- There's space in the Jewish community for queer people. I just had to find it. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Glimpsing The Beis HaMikdash - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Who Wrote the Bible? - History - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Judaism, baseball, and the drive for normal - The Jewish Standard - July 23rd, 2020 [July 23rd, 2020]
- Digital Archive Takes Talmudic Approach to Americas Founding Texts - Jewish Week - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Hope is a power you don't have to relinquish - St. Louis Jewish Light - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- In the Talmud, God admits Hes wrong. Theres a lesson there about free speech. - Forward - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- The Pope who Printed the Talmud - Aish - July 25th, 2020 [July 25th, 2020]
- Love, community, mysticism: The intrigue and observance of Tu B'Av - thejewishchronicle.net - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- A burning house - A universal lesson | Shahar Azani | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- Talmud's solution to the coronavirus dilemma: Save lives, or the economy? - Haaretz - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- Talmud and Midrash | Judaism | Britannica - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- What is the Talmud? Biblical Meaning & Definition - July 29th, 2020 [July 29th, 2020]
- Redeeming Relevance: When Moshe Threw a Book Across the Classroom - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - July 31st, 2020 [July 31st, 2020]
- One for Israel exposes abusive teachings of rabbis, explains that Jesus loves and esteems women [videos] - Patheos - July 31st, 2020 [July 31st, 2020]
- The indomitable spirit of the Jewish people - The story of Yavne - The Jerusalem Post - July 31st, 2020 [July 31st, 2020]
- Preparing for Tisha B'Av During a World Pandemic - A 25-hour period of fasting and reflection begins on Wednesday night, July 29 - Chabad.org - July 31st, 2020 [July 31st, 2020]
- Even More Harm Than We Think - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- Listen: Longtom on electro-shock treatment for Great Whites; Chas Smith continues his outspoken advocacy for kicking dogs. You see a good thick dog,... - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- The Real Reason the Beit HaMikdash Was Destroyed - The Jewish Voice - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- Why Is the Ketubah Written in Aramaic? - Chabad.org - August 4th, 2020 [August 4th, 2020]
- In a pickle, Seth Rogen tells Haaretz what he really thinks about Israel and white supremacist Trump - Haaretz - August 6th, 2020 [August 6th, 2020]
- Remembering The Wall (Part II) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Tales Told to Tevye - The New Yorker - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Parashat Ekev: A different kind of theology - The Jerusalem Post - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- First lesbian woman to be appointed to Tel Aviv's religious council - The Jerusalem Post - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Our community together apart - The Australian Jewish News - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Tyranny, loss and leadership: What's on MIFF's menu - The Age - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Even though your heart may grow haughty - The Jewish Star - August 7th, 2020 [August 7th, 2020]
- Adin Steinsaltz, Groundbreaking Talmud Translator, Dies - The New York Times - August 8th, 2020 [August 8th, 2020]
- A Personal Relationship With God Is Reachable if We Believe in It - Algemeiner - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Berachos: The Key To Fearing Hashem - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Delaware to require teaching of the Holocaust, genocide - Forward - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Yeshiva Education - The Best of Both (OPINION) - BKLYNER - BKLYNER - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Cherish the Small Comforts that Bring Your Joy in an Unsettled World - Jewish Journal - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Mind Over Milkshakes - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Why Is the Ketubah Written in Aramaic? - Questions & Answers - Chabad.org - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- The Survivors' Talmud: When the US Army Printed the Talmud - The Jewish Voice - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- The Life and Legacy of Torah Scholar and Prolific Author Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz - Jewish Journal - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- As The Night Gets Longer - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 10th, 2020 [August 10th, 2020]
- Running a Jewish day school just got a lot more expensive and parents shouldn't be the only ones paying the price. - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic... - August 17th, 2020 [August 17th, 2020]
- Heichal HaTorah Bais Medrash Enters Its Second Year with 40 Talmidim - Join us this Zman! - Yeshiva World News - August 17th, 2020 [August 17th, 2020]
- A sweet and sour history of Jews and pickles - The Jewish Star - August 17th, 2020 [August 17th, 2020]
- Holy Witnesses - Torah Insights - Parshah - Chabad.org - August 17th, 2020 [August 17th, 2020]