Space, the Final Frontier – For Nematodes

UF Innovate | The Hub and UF Innovate | Sid Martin Biotech alum Pheronym, an ag-biotech pest control company, announced the results of their fourth peer-reviewed study, this one focused on the results of their collaboration with the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (manager of the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory) and USDA-ARS during onboard experiments conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) between December 2019 and January 2020.

The study, published in Nature Partner Journal, highlights that nematodes successfully emerged from consumed insect host cadavers, moved through the soil, found, and infected bait-insects in a manner equivalent to Earth controls. However, nematodes that developed entirely in space, from the egg stage, died upon return to Earth, unlike controls in microgravity and on Earth.

The research, led by Dr. Fatma Kaplan, focused on the beneficial nematodes’ dispersal, foraging, infectivity, and pheromone production in microgravity.

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