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They were taken to space in November 2019 and March 2020, respectively, as part of an experiment organized by European startup Space Cargo Unlimited (SCU), he said in a statement on Monday.
The research, known as Mission Wise, explores how to develop “new ways to grow plants on Earth and grow to feed more people on the planet.”
The vines will be analyzed to see how they evolved during their time in space, where the effects of microgravity and higher radiation exposure than on Earth accelerate genetic changes.
Scientists will then compare them to specimens left on Earth, with the aim of adapting the vines to grow in more difficult environments.
Expert tasters will also taste the 12 bottles of Bordeaux to see the effects of its time in space on the wine.
“Space Cargo Unlimited will study how space radiation and microgravity affect the components of wine during the aging process,” the company said in a statement in November 2019. “This could yield results that will help understand the improvement in taste and food preservation. “
Researchers believe that grapevine and wine are “ideal study materials” for assessing the future of agriculture as climate change continues to alter growing conditions.
Woody plants such as vines are essential for feeding the human population, researchers say, but they have never been studied in space.
“It could be a game-changer by unlocking the agriculture of tomorrow,” said Michael Lebert, Scientific Director of SCU.
Planned future experiments include measuring the effect of spatial conditions on the fermentation of bacteria and yeasts, SCU said.
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