The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held an event dedicated to the upcoming return to Earth of seeds sent into space four months ago. The organizations posted the corresponding video on Youtube.
The goal of the groundbreaking experiment is to develop new crops that can adapt to climate change and help humanity fight hunger. According to forecasts, by 2050 the world’s population will reach almost 10 billion people, so it is necessary now to look for innovative solutions aimed at producing more food.
Seeds from IAEA and FAO laboratories belonging to the varieties Arabidopsis and Sorghum went into space on November 7, 2022 on a cargo shuttle without a crew. While in orbit, they were exposed to cosmic radiation, microgravity, and extreme temperatures – inside and outside the International Space Station.
In early April, the seeds should return to Earth, according to the UN. Experts from FAO and the IAEA plan to grow it, identify mutations caused by being in space and create new varieties.
“I am very proud of our partnership with the IAEA: it is bearing fruit both on Earth and in space,” said FAO Director-General Ku Dongyu. – I am fascinated by the sustainability of nature. Further space exploration will open up new opportunities for transforming agri-food systems to increase their efficiency and sustainability.”
Scientists from the IAEA and FAO have been experimenting with seeds for more than half a century,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “They’ve created thousands of stronger food crops, but in an interesting field like astrobiology, we’re doing experiments for the first time.”
Source: Landlord