China Probes Early Human Development in Space With Synthetic Embryos
China has sent synthetic human embryos to the Tiangong space station to study how microgravity affects early development. The two sample groups—one cultured on uterine cells simulating implantation and another on a microfluidic chip modeling early tissue formation—will run for five days before being frozen for Earth-based analysis; the samples cannot develop into a fetus. Results will be compared with a planet-based control to gauge space effects on development, building on prior animal studies and addressing questions about human reproduction in space.