Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

NASA Sent Several Mice Into Space To Analyze Their Behavior In Microgravity—And The Mice Actually Had A Blast

NASA Sent Several Mice Into Space To Analyze Their Behavior In Microgravity—And The Mice Actually Had A Blast
NASA Video/YouTube

Mice are the often unsung heroes of humans' scientific research. We use them as a proxy for our own species when researching how things might affect humans.

Obviously, we aren't mice, but their bodies are similar enough that they can tell us a lot about the safety of different medications or situations.


Mice also live shorter lives than humans, so they are excellent for testing the long-term effects of microgravity—like that experienced during prolonged space travel.

Humanity is getting closer and closer to taking a trip to Mars but, before we can make that idea a reality, we need to learn how being weightless for the amount of time it takes to get there will do to the astronauts that take the trip.

Rodent Research in Microgravitywww.youtube.com

In order to study how mice react to the microgravity of space, NASA designed a special enclosure to hold and observe mice on the International Space Station (ISS).

Called the NASA Rodent Research Hardware System, the enclosure had enough room for the mice to move around freely.

A researcher from NASA's Ames Research Center, located in Silicon Valley, talked about the enclosure

Studying Behavior in Space Shows Mice Adapt to Microgravitywww.youtube.com

Surprisingly, the mice didn't seem to mind being in space at all!

They did all of the same things that the control group of mice who stayed here on Earth did: grooming, eating, and interacting with the other mice in the enclosure (including adorable snuggle huddles—mice are very social animals).

They also did some things that the earthbound mice didn't, mostly because they couldn't. The space mice rapidly adjusted to the microgravity quickly, and some of the younger mice began doing what scientists called "race tracking."

They would run laps around the walls of the cage, eventually in groups!

Scientists aren't sure of the reason for these mousy jogging clubs, but they could be do to a few different factors.

It might be because the mice enjoy the physical exercise itself, like many human runners, or the motion helped stimulate the mice's sense of balance.

There is also the possibility that it is a stress response, but scientists think this is the least likely possibility. The mice were in perfect health, and didn't show any other abnormal behaviors.

Ronca commented on the importance of mouse research and the success of this initial study.

"Our behavioral study shows that the NASA Rodent Hardware System provides the capability to conduct meaningful long-duration biological research studies on the International Space Station."
"Experiments conducted in the habitat can focus on how mouse physiology responds to the spaceflight environment during extended missions and on similarities in response to astronaut crew."

Twitter users were excited by the study's results.




NASA is sending up another group of mice with the next cargo shipment to the ISS today!



If we really plan to make it to Mars, or even farther planets, these studies of the effects of being in space are vital. The ISS is too small to conduct a large-scale study on humans, and a sufficient number of samples are vital to understanding whether a reaction is a species-wide one or just an individual one.

These mouse studies are the first step in understanding the effects of space on bodies that are designed to exist with significantly more gravity.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Man kissing dog while cradling it
VintageBaguette/Unsplash

People Describe The Hottest Thing Their Partner Does Without Realizing

People can state that their significant other's eyes are the best physical attributes or that their sense of style is on point and very sexy.

While those are easily identifiable, the most attractive qualities in a partner can be the ones that take the least amount of effort or something less tangible like a vibe they give off.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Share Their Best 'WTF Did I Just Get Myself Into?' Experiences

Everyone makes mistakes, and we've all done things that we aren't proud of.

But sometimes, we get involved in situations that we didn't see coming, and we wonder what we did to get ourselves stuck in this situation.

Keep ReadingShow less
person lying on gurney with IV and pulse-ox monitor
Olga Kononenko on Unsplash

People Break Down The Stupidest Reasons They've Visited The ER

Accidents and acute illness can happen to anyone. But some people seem to have a gift.

The worst mishaps result in emergency room (A&E) visits.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man pulling a one dollar bill out of a wallet
person getting 1 U.S. dollar banknote in wallet

Purchases Under $20 That Actually Changed People's Lives

We've all found ourselves justifying an expensive purchase.

It is something that our friends and family might dismiss as an extravagance, but one we have absolutely no regrets over due to its long-term impact on our lives.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

White House Account Posts Meme Portraying Trump As A 'King' After Killing Congestion Pricing

After President Donald Trump's Transportation Department (DOT) killed New York City's congestion pricing, the official White House X account posted a mock magazine cover of Trump with a crown, saying "Long Live The King."

Earlier, DOT released a letter from Secretary Sean Duffy stating it had been sent to New York Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the decision to "terminate" approval of the congestion pricing program, which was originally granted on November 21 under the Biden administration.

Keep ReadingShow less