Zebrafish on the Thien Cung space station are exhibiting unique behaviors despite remaining healthy. Launched into space on the Shenzhou-18 spacecraft at the end of April, the fish and algae are being studied in a water tank on China’s Tiangong space station. The zebrafish are part of a project led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to investigate how gravity and confined ecosystems impact the growth, development, and behavior of vertebrates.
This research is China’s first orbital aquatic ecology project and the first vertebrate farming experiment in space. Zebrafish, a small fish from the Carp family, are commonly used in genetic and developmental studies due to their genetic similarities to humans. Research on the Tiangong station aims to understand the effects of microgravity and radiation on biological systems and potentially mitigate bone loss in astronauts.
Astronauts will also collect fish egg samples for further study. Zebrafish embryos are transparent and develop outside the uterus, allowing researchers to observe their development from fertilization onwards. The self-sustaining aquatic ecosystem on the space station, where algae and fish support each other, provides insights into maintaining life support systems for long-duration space missions.
