China initiates in-orbit fruit fly experiment to advance space science

In a groundbreaking experiment, Chinese researchers are studying the behavior of fruit flies in orbit, marking a significant step forward in the country's quest to advance space science.

For over 100 years, scientists have been studying the humble fruit fly, a tiny insect that feeds on fruit, due to its unique characteristics that make it an ideal model organism for research.

Researchers from the Institute of Biophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have been analyzing videos that monitor the growth, reproduction, and behavior of fruit flies aboard China's orbiting space station, in an effort to better understand the impact of the space environment on animals.

The fruit flies aboard Tianzhou-8 cargo craft were sent into space on November 15, 2024.

"We found that fruit flies can court, mate, and reproduce in space just as they do on Earth. During these processes, we have observed some new behavior patterns that are very different from those seen on the ground. For example, they can crawl and fly on Earth, but in space, they float or even perform somersaults. We are now utilizing video processing and artificial intelligence technologies to assist with our analysis," said Li Yan, a researcher with the Institute of Biophysics.

After about two months of in-orbit cultivation, the fruit flies have already bred into a third generation, and astronauts have collected samples from each generation. Researchers have obtained over 4TB of video data on the fruit flies.

Samples of the fruit flies are expected to be brought back to Earth by the Shenzhou-19 crew in April 2025.

"We're also looking forward to receiving the fruit fly samples, which are expected to return to Earth by the end of April 2025. We plan to conduct genetic analysis, focusing on the DNA and RNA of the fruit flies. By combining our study results with the video data, we aim to explore the connection between changes of fruit flies' genetic expression and behavior. In the next phase, we hope to gain deeper insights into how the space environment affects animals," said Li.

Since China's space station entered its application and development stage on December 31, 2022, more than 180 scientific and application projects have been carried out in orbit, with nearly two tons of scientific materials delivered and close to 100 types of experimental samples returned.

China's space station will conduct more than 1,000 research projects, promote science popularization and enhance international cooperation over the next 10 to 15 years, according to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In the field of space life science and human research, efforts will be made to deepen research in basic biology, biotechnology and transformation, life ecology, and the origin of life, to further reveal the impact mechanisms and response patterns of the space environment on life, it said.

China initiates in-orbit fruit fly experiment to advance space science

China initiates in-orbit fruit fly experiment to advance space science

Amid growing concerns over the Trump administration's tariff policies, experts have warned that these measures could spark countermeasures from other countries and have serious consequences for the country's economy, including rising consumer prices, stock market volatility, and even a recession.

Despite widespread opposition, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order on the so-called "reciprocal tariffs," imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" and higher rates on certain trading partners.

While Trump has long argued that tariffs would protect and create jobs in the country, economists widely believe that these policies could instead drive up unemployment and hurt consumers by pushing prices higher.

"In terms of the idea that this is just going to raise a lot of money, it's not clear how that happens without it being at the the cost of the U.S. consumer and some producers as well. Prices are going to go up for everybody. There will be job losses, probably," said Katherine Schmeiser Lande, professor of economics at Mount Holyoke College, in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) recently.

Experts also noted that as the U.S. enforces its tariff measures, other nations are likely to respond with countermeasures, and this could hit U.S. exports, particularly farm products like soybeans, which heavily rely on foreign markets.

Ultimately, they warned, such policies could harm U.S. farmers and businesses.

"It might lower the price for U.S. consumers, but we can't necessarily absorb all that excess. So this could be really problematic for farmers, and it could lead to a situation where they actually need government subsidies, which is a whole other issue," said Lande.

The stock market has already reacted sharply to tariff-related uncertainty.

In March, the indexes of Nasdaq and Standard and Poor 500 fell 8.21 percent and 5.75 percent, respectively, their worst monthly declines since December 2022.

Economists warn of further volatility as trade tensions continue to weigh on investor confidence.

Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs recently released a report stating that as U.S. tariff policies disrupt global trade and financial markets, the likelihood of a recession in the U.S. within the next 12 months has risen to 35 percent.

Since protectionism is at the heart of Trump's foreign policy, Malgorzata Bonikowska, president of the Center for International Relations in Poland, stressed that Europe will not bow to U.S. pressure, believing that the continent will respond firmly to its aggressive tariff measures.

"European Union does not want any trade war. We support World Trade Organization. We support multilateralism. So we don't like this approach of Trump administration and we regret. But if Trump pushes us, then we will look around. We have to do trade with other partners as well. So, it's not only the U.S. which is our trade and investment partner. We regret, but we definitely will not be weak in this regard," she said in another recent CCTV interview.

US “reciprocal tariffs” to harm itself, incur countermeasures: experts