China's space station to study planarian regeneration

BEIJING -- China's space station is set to introduce a novel participant in its space science experiments -- the planarian, a creature renowned for its extraordinary regenerative capabilities, China Media Group reported on Saturday.

Planarians, flatworms with an evolutionary history spanning over 520 million years, are one of the widely used experimental animal models in biological research. These organisms demonstrate an exceptional capacity for tissue repair: when bisected, planarians can regenerate lost muscles, skin, intestines, and even an entire brain from each segment -- a process that can be repeated indefinitely.

The study of planarians holds profound implications for understanding human cellular mechanisms to combat aging and promote longevity, according to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Researchers aim to investigate how the space environment affects the regenerative processes and physiological behavior of planarians. They will also explore the molecular mechanisms behind space-induced effects on planarian regeneration, thereby advancing our understanding of regenerative biology.

This initiative follows the successful inclusion of zebrafish and fruit flies in science experiments conducted aboard China's space station.

Researchers have been employing zebrafish to investigate the impact of microgravity on vertebrate muscle and bone proteins, while also conducting fruit fly experiments to understand their growth, development, locomotor characteristics, and biological rhythms under space microgravity and hypomagnetic conditions.