Hurtling around the Earth at more than 20 times the speed of sound, some of the tiniest life forms aboard the International Space Station are on a mission to feed people on a warming planet.
Seeds of sorghum and cress launched into orbit by the International Atomic Energy Agency are tethered to the capsule via a thin metal box. That¡¯s exposing them to more-intense solar radiation in a trial to induce genetic mutations so they can survive hotter temperatures, drier soils, spreading pestilence and rising sea levels.
¡°Most astrobotany until now has been to test how plants can be grown to feed astronauts for eventual space colonies,¡± Shoba Sivasankar, the IAEA¡¯s head of genetics and plant breeding, said at her lab outside Vienna. ¡°This experiment is different because it is designed to help people on Earth adapt to climate change.¡±
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