The article, based on a study of young earthworms exposed to various hypergravity conditions for eight days, was authored by researchers at the North-West Unive
Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.The first space biology article has been published in South Africa, marking an important advancement for African space science – and potentially for the world.
While it was expected that earthworms exposed to hypergravity would fare worse than control worms at 1G , unexpectedly, they all grew at the same rate, irrespective of the hypergravity treatments. Being able to withstand sustained hypergravity suggests that they would also be able to tolerate microgravity and may therefore play roles in space food production and waste recycling on the Moon, Mars, space stations or on spaceships that experience microgravity.
The other team members are Cornel-Mari du Preez, an MSc student specialising in microplastics, and Ruwaan Botha, a mechanical engineering graduate with experience in rapid prototyping.Du Preez highlighted the study’s importance: “Understanding how organisms respond to the environment in space is crucial as we look toward future human space exploration.”
She played a key role in studying the effects of hypergravity on small organisms. With a background in marine biology, ecotoxicology and conservation, she was drawn to studying biological responses in dynamic and extreme environments.Her published work involved using a concentric 3D-printed centrifuge rotor capable of testing organisms under three different gravitational forces: 1.7G, 2.5G and 3.
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