NASA sent mice in space and the results are unintentionally hilarious – BGR

In the not-too-distant future, NASA and other space groups from around the world will begin to embark on missions more deeply into our solar system than our species has ever been before. This means long trips and extended stays in microgravity for the astronauts who board them, which could be a problem.

Thanks to the International Space Station, we know a lot about the effects of gravity on the human body, but NASA wants to know more. To this end, the agency has studied how other species are managing with low severity, with a particular focus on mice. The results are both interesting and fun.

As NASA explains in a new blog post, scientists have sent a module specifically designed for mouse habitat at the International Space Station, as well as some of the smaller furry rodents. The speaker allowed the researchers to study the behavior of mice at a distance from the Earth via video streams. We can now enjoy these videos for ourselves.

As you will surely notice in the video, the mice seem really uncomfortable at the beginning of the experiment. They turn around, drift inside the small confines of the cage and do their best to determine which path is high, but to no avail. However, the mice are not slow to make themselves understood, adapting remarkably well to their new environment and exploiting even the lack of gravity to their advantage by moving around the cage.

This is where things go wrong, with the video of the 11th day of the experiment showing that the mice are not only confronted with the change of gravity but that they actually seem to enjoy it. Several mice run around the walls of the cage, turning the entire enclosure into a sort of hamster wheel.

NASA researchers wanted to know if the mice would continue to do the same type of activities as those observed on Earth. The study showed that mice retained most of their routines, including their self-grooming and feeding when they were hungry.

Research like this can help NASA better prepare for future missions to Mars and beyond by revealing what types of behavioral and biological changes might occur in mammals exposed to extended microgravity stays. It seems that he is also producing amazing videos.