Sciencespace
Plants shift gene activity within minutes of entering spaceflight
A new University of Florida study reveals that plants begin responding to spaceflight almost immediately after leaving Earth. Researchers captured the earliest stages of biological adaptation during a commercial suborbital mission. The findings, published in the journal npj Microgravity, stem from an experiment conducted by a UF astronaut during Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-26 flight on August 29, 2024. This research provides unprecedented insight into how terrestrial flora reacts to microgravity and space environments.