Overview
- University of Adelaide researchers, whose work published Thursday in Communications Biology, found that simulated low gravity made sperm far less able to find an egg.
- Using a rotating device called a clinostat, the team mimicked microgravity and had human, mouse, and pig sperm traverse a tiny channel that stands in for the cervix.
- The sperm did not swim slower under low gravity but lost their sense of direction in the maze, which the authors identify as the main cause of fewer successes.
- Outcomes fell across species, with about 30% fewer mouse eggs fertilized after four hours and fewer pig embryos reaching the blastocyst stage than under Earth gravity.
- The setup approximated one tenth of Earth’s gravity, so the team says results may not carry to the Moon or Mars and calls for partial‑gravity tests as agencies and SpaceX advance plans for lunar and Martian bases.