The crew of China’s Shenzhou-19 mission has returned to Earth, bringing back a treasure trove of space experiment samples that could shape the future of space exploration. After a six-month stint aboard the Chinese space station, the three astronauts landed safely on Wednesday, carrying 37.25 kilograms of samples from 25 different experiments.
Among these samples are 20 from life science experiments, marking the largest variety of biological samples returned since the station began operating in late 2022. These include bone cells, human bronchial epithelial cells, early embryos of humans and animals, protein samples, and, intriguingly, fruit flies that have been bred in space.
Fruit flies, often used in scientific research due to their genetic similarities to humans, have been a focal point of experiments to understand how life adapts to space environments. The fruit flies brought back by Shenzhou-19 are the descendants of those sent to the space station by the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft in November last year. Scientists aimed to observe how these flies would reproduce and grow under conditions similar to those on the Moon or Mars, where gravity and magnetic fields are minimal.
“The in-orbit video shows that in space, fruit flies don’t adapt to an environment without gravity and may float around or crash,” said Li Yan, a researcher at the Institute of Biophysics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Through meticulous analysis, we discovered that some of their instinctive behaviors, such as courtship and feeding, also underwent abnormal changes. This requires us to conduct more in-depth data mining.”
The successful breeding of three generations of fruit flies in space provides valuable insights into how living organisms might survive and function during long-term space travel. “We humans may leave the Earth and head for space in the future—like the Moon, Mars, and even interstellar space,” Li added. “It is unknown whether living beings can survive, reproduce, have normal brain functions, and develop normal behavioral patterns in such environments. Through this research, we can gain an early understanding and explore the mechanisms behind these changes.”
The biologically sensitive samples were swiftly transported to Beijing for further analysis by various research teams. In addition to the biological specimens, Shenzhou-19 also brought back other significant materials, including high-strength steel and lunar soil reinforcement materials.
This mission marks a significant step forward in understanding how life adapts to space, paving the way for future exploration and possibly, one day, human settlement beyond Earth.
