La nascita dei primi topi da spermatozoi spaziali libera il campo a una nuova teoria: la fecondazione artificiale potrebbe diventare una pratica 'extraterrestre', per popolare le future colonie dell'universo, garantendo un'ampia variabilità genetica.
Gli spermatozoi di topo liofilizzati sono stati lanciati nello spazio il 4 agosto 2013: una volta approdati sulla Stazione spaziale internazionale sono stati conservati a 95 gradi sotto lo zero per 288 giorni ed esposti a radiazioni 100 volte più potenti di quelle che colpiscono i terrestri. Gli spermatozoi hanno fatto ritorno a casa il 19 maggio 2014.
Una volta utilizzati per la fecondazione in provetta, come pubblicato sulla rivista scientifica Pnas dai ricercatori giapponesi dall'Università di Yamanashi, gli spermatozoi sono però riusciti a dare vita a una prole sana e normale. L'analisi del genoma dei topi 'figli dello spazio' ha rivelato differenze minime rispetto ai roditori terrestri.
ATS/CaL
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