home · Networks · Animals in space: interesting facts. Drosophila reproduce better in zero gravity than on earth Drosophila in space

Animals in space: interesting facts. Drosophila reproduce better in zero gravity than on earth Drosophila in space

1. Belka and Strelka are Albina and Marquise. Belka and Strelka are the most famous cosmonaut dogs. They were the first living beings to make a real orbital space flight, and after that they returned to Earth alive! This significant event occurred on August 19, 1960. And collecting Interesting Facts about animals in space, it is necessary, of course, to rightfully start with these already legendary four-legged heroes. But few people know that initially the dogs Belka and Strelka had completely different nicknames - Albina (Latin alba - white) and the pretentious Marquise. But the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Missile Forces intervened Soviet Union Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin, and categorically demanded that the dogs’ names be changed, from “enemy” and foreign ones to more communist ones. That’s how Albina and Marquise suddenly became Belka and Strelka.

2. Albert was the first, and not Belka and Strelka? If you are really interested in interesting facts about animals in space, then you should know that 12 years before the flight of Belka and Strelka on June 11, 1948, the aircraft was actually stolen from the Germans. ballistic missile, assembled on the basis of the famous German V-2, the United States sent the rhesus macaque Albert I into orbit. But, unfortunately, before reaching the hundred-kilometer mark, the macaque died from suffocation. Space relay race in next year was taken over by another rhesus monkey, Albert II. This flight went well, the planned altitude was 134 km. has been achieved. But, unfortunately, when landing the spacecraft, the parachute of the descent capsule did not open, and Albert 2 also became a space hero posthumously. Only in 1951, 9 years before Belka and Strelka, the astronaut monkey was able to return to Earth. But this was already Albert VI.

3. Seagull and Chanterelle – should have been the first! Not the famous Belka and Strelka, but the unknown Chaika and Lisichka are in fact the first space heroes in the former Soviet Union. These two dogs were supposed to be the first astronauts. But they died in a catastrophe during an unsuccessful rocket launch on July 28, 1960. True, Chaika was called Bars before the flight.

4. The first were not monkeys or dogs! Another interesting fact about animals in space, which few people mention, but the first organisms from Earth to fly into space were not dogs or monkeys, but ordinary fruit flies, Drosophila, which are found in every kitchen in the summer, especially outside the city. Flies were sent into space back in July 1946 on an American (actually German) V2 rocket. Drosophila flies helped scientists test the degree of impact of cosmic radiation on the earth's organism.

5. Do cats save astronauts? In fact, it is not dogs, but cats that are the real friends of astronauts! Scientists at the University of California at Davis believe that a cat's purring vibration strengthens the cat's bones, which are negatively affected by long-term immobility: it is known that cats can sleep and doze for 16-18 hours a day. Based on this theory, they propose using a “25 hertz purr” to quickly restore musculoskeletal activity in astronauts who for a long time spent in zero gravity.

Tiny Drosophila flies do not bite at home and cannot tolerate dangerous diseases, do not chew clothes and furniture, but irritate their owners with their presence. As soon as you leave a piece of apple or pie on the table, after half an hour you can already see insects scurrying around on it.

How do fruit flies get into apartments? How to make a midge trap with your own hands? Let's figure it out.

Reasons for appearance

The Drosophila fly most often flies around the apartment when it gets warmer. The abundance of food and favorable living conditions allow fruit flies to actively reproduce, and the number of insects increases sharply.

Routes of entry:

  • with vegetables and fruits from the supermarket or from the garden (inside peaches, apples, cucumbers, larvae enter the home);
  • through open windows;
  • with soil taken from summer cottage for landing indoor plants;
  • on animal fur. When food often rots in a cat's or dog's bowl, Drosophila larvae receive enough food and multiply quickly.

The risk of invasion of annoying midges increases several times when the following factors are identified:

  • poor home hygiene, piles of dirty dishes in the sink;
  • the habit of leaving leftover food on the plate and not immediately wiping the table;
  • old tea leaves left in the teapot also attracts fruit flies, giving them a lot of food and a breeding area;
  • accumulation of bottles of sweet soda, juice, leftover wine and beer in containers that were not thrown away on time;
  • excessive watering of indoor plants, water not only in the flowerpot, but also in the tray;
  • addiction to traditional methods fertilizers for plants, for example, for watering with dormant tea leaves. The tea leaves rot and attract tiny insects;
  • if at home perfect order, the kitchen is sparkling clean, then midges fly onto the fruits, beautifully laid out on the plate;
  • the likelihood of an invasion of small flies increases if the housewife is accustomed to keeping bunches of grapes, bananas or fragrant peaches outside the refrigerator;
  • a trash bin that was not taken out on time, a rotten apple peel, potato peelings, tomato peels, sour borscht are the favorite food of fruit flies.

How to recognize

Drosophila also has other names - vinegar fly or wine fly. Insects are common on all continents except the coldest regions. The ubiquitous insect of the order Diptera resembles an ordinary fly, only very small (body length does not exceed 3 mm).

Drosophila love rotten fruits and vegetables, rotted plant debris. Tiny insects are attracted to the wine smell. Larvae fruit flies often feed on microorganisms.

It is difficult to confuse fruit flies and other insects: flies swarm over rotten vegetables and fruits, scurry along the ground flower pot, circling over the plants. Midges always fly in a “cloud” in their habitat; it is almost impossible to encounter a single fruit fly. If one fly gets into an apartment with an abundance of food, soon there will be other brothers there.

How to get rid of it: effective methods

Drosophila give food an unattractive appearance, scurry around inside the bread bin, crawl on plates, fruits and vegetables, and constantly get into your eyes and mouth. Tiny insects appear from somewhere in a “closed” grocery bag. This kind of “neighborhood” quickly gets boring. The owners are ready to do anything to get rid of fruit flies.

Exterminators advise not to rush to the store household chemicals behind a can of toxic aerosol. Midges will disappear if you simply change some habits. Most often, active reproduction of wine midges occurs due to the fault of the hosts.

Fruit midges penetrate many apartments, but do not remain everywhere. How to get rid of fruit flies in an apartment? Get rid of flies favorable conditions for habitat and feeding - the main task of the owners.

Basic Rules:

  • find, examine the habitat of insects, understand what attracted the annoying midge;
  • eliminate conditions for the life of fruit flies: put food in the refrigerator, throw away garbage, stop storing dirty dishes, avoid excessive watering of plants;
  • destroy the midges that were caught;
  • think about how to prevent the reappearance of fruit flies (prevention measures are described at the end of the article).

Advice! Exterminators do not recommend using chemicals best option – homemade traps. Without food, insects will not be able to live at home and will quickly disappear. You can poison fruit flies with Dichlorvos only in as a last resort, with an abundance of insects. But this method is harmful to the health of residents; it is advisable to make do with catch containers and natural compounds.

DIY traps

Most fixtures are easy to make in 10-15 minutes. You will need items and products that are always available at home.

Popular options for fruit fly traps:

  • from a plastic cup. Wash the yogurt container, dry it, put the wet one inside tea bag, pieces of fruit or pour beer/compote. Pull from above cling film, make a dozen holes with a thick needle, place a glass with bait in the area where midges accumulate;
  • from a plastic bag. The easiest way to catch fruit flies. Fill the bag with apple cores, rotten tomatoes or peaches, cover, and place the trap on the table. In half an hour, there will be many people inside the bag who want to feast on the rotting remains. The owners will have to show dexterity: quickly tie the bag and take it to the trash bin. You should not put a bag with caught midges in the trash: often, inexplicably, tiny insects get out;
  • from glass jar. A simple method is effective for large concentrations of midges. Fill the container with juice, fruit or compote. Roll a cone out thick paper, be sure to cut off a small piece from the sharp end with scissors. Insert the funnel inside the glass jar with an angle downward, tape the joint so that insects cannot escape. Place the container in areas where midges accumulate and wait until “clouds” of tiny fruit flies gather inside.

Traditional methods

You can “smoke out” insects from your home using aromatic substances and pungent odors that midges cannot tolerate. When combined with traps, the method shows high efficiency.

Find out how to properly poison and what to use on your own.

How to get rid of cockroaches in an apartment forever? Effective methods destruction are described on the page.

Go to the address and read about how to deal with red ants in your apartment.

Repels fruit flies:

  • the smell of heated camphor;
  • essential oils poured into an aroma lamp. Insects do not like the aroma of pine needles, incense, lavender, citrus;
  • wormwood, lavender, tansy will quickly drive insects out of an apartment or house. Place bouquets of dried plants throughout all rooms;
  • a candle with a spicy or pine scent. Light a candle, slowly carry it through the rooms, put it in the kitchen, let it burn out.

Preventive measures

Compliance simple rules will make you forget what fruit flies look like. The house should be in order, vegetables and fruits should be stored in the refrigerator, and the risk of annoying midges breeding in the home will be minimized.

Other important rules:

  • wash dishes regularly, do not accumulate glasses, spoons, plates on the table or in the sink;
  • dispose of garbage in a timely manner, especially in warm time years when there is a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables;
  • It is good to wring out rags in the kitchen and bathroom;
  • do not store rotten foods at home, especially grapes, peaches, bananas, apples, melons;
  • water the plants as needed, do not create dampness in the flowerpot and the plate under it;
  • When using tea leaves as fertilizer, replace the layer in the pot in time. Rotting tea leaves on the background high humidity– an ideal habitat for annoying midges;
  • The cat's litter box should always be clean, as should pet feeding bowls. Drosophila, deprived of food, will definitely leave an inhospitable home;
  • When identifying annoying “neighbors”, do not postpone the fight against insects. It is important to remember: midges always stay in flocks, and when there is an abundance of food, they quickly flock to the smell.

The appearance of Drosophila flies at home can be prevented if you keep order and care for your plants correctly and on time. In case of invasion of tiny insects, homemade traps and folk recipes will help.

Video - review of how to get rid of fruit flies in the house:

MOSCOW, July 19 – RIA Novosti. Five geckos, numerous fruit flies, microorganisms and seeds of higher plants will go to conquer outer space for 60 days on board the new Russian biosatellite Foton-M on the night from Friday to Saturday, a Roscosmos representative told RIA Novosti.

“The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle is scheduled for 00.50 Moscow time from site 31 of the Baikonur cosmodrome. The separation of the Foton-M biosatellite from the carrier is scheduled for 00.58 Moscow time,” the agency’s interlocutor noted.

Space Zoo

As RIA Novosti was clarified at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (IMBP) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the main part of the scientific equipment included in Foton-M No. 4 is intended for experiments with living organisms.

“The program of experiments on living organisms will continue. Five geckos are being sent into space: four females and one male, as well as numerous fruit flies, microorganisms and seeds of higher plants. One of the main experiments will be an attempt to obtain offspring from geckos.

In addition, research will be conducted on gravitational physiology, exobiology, biotechnology, radiobiology and radiation dosimetry,” said the IBMP representative.

The experiments will make it possible to learn more about the effects to which a person is exposed during space flight, and to understand how astronauts can be protected from them. This new data is ultimately needed to enable humans to move beyond the Earth and into deep space.

In total, the biological part of the Foton-M mission in space includes eight experiments. In addition to studying geckos, this is the FLUOTREK experiment, which will be carried out to study the dynamics of changes in the state of intracellular systems under the influence of space flight factors. To do this on different stages flight registration will be carried out using fluorescent probes membrane potential mitochondria, and also analyze the influence of temperature on intracellular regulatory processes functional state cells in vitro.

During the experiment "BIORADIATION-F" the characteristics of space ionizing radiation and the effects of its influence on biological objects under conditions open space and inside the satellite. The objects of research are dry seeds, silkworm eggs and other biological objects that do not require maintaining vital functions under space flight conditions.

Cosmic crystals

Also on board will be carried out Russian-German experiments on growing semiconductor crystals in zero gravity conditions; the results of these works will be important for the modern electronics industry, the Roscosmos information policy service said in a statement.

There are more than 20 installations on board the scientific satellite, where biological and technological experiments will be carried out during the two-month flight. Scientists will be able to study the growth of crystals in microgravity conditions, as well as obtain especially pure crystals with an improved structure. The results obtained will allow scientists to improve technologies for growing especially pure crystals on Earth.

The experiments will be carried out on the KBTS-15 installation, created at the Russian Research Institute of Launch Complexes named after Barmin. It is an automatic electric vacuum furnace with a heating temperature of up to 1200 degrees, equipped with a control system, evacuation and automatic supply of capsules with samples, as well as 12 of these capsules.

Among the 12 capsules are several prepared by scientists from the German Institute of Crystallography and the Center for Materials Science at the University of Freiburg. German researchers intend to conduct five experiments on board the satellite with semiconductor substances that are extremely important for modern electronics, in particular, with germanium gallide (GeGa), germanium silicide (GeSi), and zinc-cadmium telluride (CdZnTe).

On the Russian side, employees of several scientific centers, in particular, the St. Petersburg Ioffe Physico-Technical Institute, will participate in the experiments.

Orbital predecessors

The first Photon apparatus was launched in 1985 and spent 13 days in orbit. The results of the experiments were in great demand, and from 1985 to 1999, 12 Photons were successfully operated in orbit. The flight duration ranged from 13 to 18 days. The descent vehicles landed in a given area using a soft landing system.

During this time, a research program was carried out on board the Photons in the field of obtaining semiconductor and optical materials, biotechnology, cell biology, and the impact of outer space factors on samples returned to Earth. The results of experiments on devices of the "Photon" series have enriched science with new knowledge about the peculiarities of the flow of technological processes in space, which has found its application in ground technologies.

Differences of the new biosatellite

"Foton-M" No. 4 is fundamentally different from its predecessors. In fact, only the design of the descent vehicle remained, with modifications associated with changes in the composition of the onboard support and scientific equipment. The design of "Foton-M" No. 4 is similar to "Bion-M" No. 1, with the exception of the life support system, which was installed on the biosatellite for living "passengers". There is no such system on Foton-M No. 4: living organisms will use the supply of oxygen that is in the volume of the descent vehicle. The mass of Foton-M is 6.8 tons, the mass of scientific equipment is 850 kilograms.

On November 10, the crew of the International space station, and together with it, Drosophila flies landed safely, who spent 12 days on board the ISS along with the astronauts. More precisely, larvae that hatched in space from eggs laid by flies.

These larvae are already the fifth generation of space fruit flies.

Its director, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Irina Ogneva, told Gazeta.Ru about the experiment conducted by the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems.

The ancestors of the cosmic dynasty of flies flew into space on July 19, 2014 on board the Foton M satellite No. 4. During 44 days of flight in orbit, the flies laid eggs, from which the second generation developed, going through all stages of development: egg - larva - pupa - adult fly (imago). The second generation flies also managed to lay eggs, so the second generation of flies and third generation larvae returned to Earth in the descent vehicle.

Unlike the geckos, the flies were fine.

The larvae that had been in space were partially left for further observation on Earth. These larvae developed into adult flies that laid eggs. Thus, the fourth generation of fruit flies appeared, which again had the honor of becoming astronauts.

On October 29, the fourth generation of flies arrived on the Russian segment of the ISS, where they remained for 12 days. And the larvae of the fifth generation returned to Earth.

“Thus, we conducted a unique experiment with repeated exposure of fruit flies in space,” says Irina Ogneva. —

Such an experiment has never happened before in world practice. All insects were alive and feeling well.

But in order to study the changes occurring to them in conditions of weightlessness, they had to be recorded. And thanks to the interaction with who provided fast delivery biomaterial, we managed to record it in record time - within an hour and a half after landing. It was very important to fix the biomaterial as soon as possible after the end of weightlessness, so that compensation processes on Earth would not begin. An hour and a half is a record short term for this kind of experimentation."

Returned from space very a large number of larvae, and scientists left some of them alive for further study.

Thus, the space experiment with fruit flies is virtually completed, and now specialists will study both living and fixed flies using all possible methods.

In particular, they plan to study the changes that have occurred in their proteins, especially in the proteins of the cell skeleton, to evaluate the response to stress, and to analyze the activity of genes in space in comparison with the activity of genes of a control group of flies on Earth.

“This will be molecular cellular research,” says Irina Ogneva. “We still cannot say what changes have occurred in Drosophila at the cellular and molecular levels, but we can note changes in their behavior and reproduction. Compared to terrestrial conditions, fruit flies reproduced more actively in space. We got many more larvae than on Earth. So we can conclude that development in zero-gravity conditions and in terrestrial conditions occurs somewhat differently.”

Insects are the most popular travelers in space. It turns out that they perfectly tolerate flights, monstrous accelerations, and weightlessness.

Thus, the larva of a chironomidae - an African mosquito - spent more than a year in outer space. Along with it, there were a change of plants and bacteria outside the MSC. After the container was delivered to the ground and opened, all biological objects turned out to be alive. The larva turned into a mosquito, the seeds sprouted.

The Bio Risk experiment lasted a year and a half. This is exactly how long it takes to fly from earth to Mars. Consequently, living objects are capable of moving from one planet to another. For example, with comets and meteorites. The internal parts of the meteorite do not heat up during the fall. If there are any microorganisms inside them, they are likely able to survive the fall.

The results of space experiments with living objects have surprised scientists before. True, the experiments took place inside the station. In 2006, a container of worms was sent to the ISS. They cut them into pieces and looked at how quickly the animals would regenerate under conditions of weightlessness. It turned out - even faster than on Earth.

In 2007, cockroaches visited the Foton-M3 research satellite. Cockroaches that have been in space have become more aggressive, more mobile than their earthly counterparts, and more viable.

In 2009, burdock butterflies (Vanessa cardui) were launched into space aboard the Atlantis space shuttle. They all began their journey into low-Earth orbit in the caterpillar stage, after which they wove cocoons and emerged safely from them (even if the pupae were floating in the air).

Also on board the ISS were snails, silkworms, and spiders. It turns out that at first the spiders get lost and begin to cover all available space with webs, but over time they begin to orient themselves and weave classic patterns.

Last year, along with the astronauts, fruit flies landed safely on Earth and spent 12 days in space. Unlike the geckos, which died from hypothermia, the flies survived the flight normally.

Flies are launched into space under a special program to study the effect of weightlessness on the development of living organisms. In orbit, the ancestor flies laid eggs, from which the next generation developed, going through all stages of development: egg - larva - pupa - adult fly (imago). And so on five times. As part of the program, insects were launched into space on July 19, 2014 on board the Foton M satellite No. 4. The larvae of the fifth generation have returned to Earth.

Foton-M No. 4 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 19. After the satellite was put into orbit and made several orbits, communication with it by the ground control complex “via the command channel” was disrupted. A few days later the connection was restored. As the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences emphasized, the lack of control from the Earth did not in any way affect the life support of the animals on board, as well as the program of automatic experiments.

It turned out that in zero gravity flies reproduce no worse, and even better, than in earthly laboratories. “Compared to terrestrial conditions in space, fruit flies reproduced more actively. We got many more larvae than on Earth. So we can conclude that development in conditions of weightlessness and in terrestrial conditions occurs somewhat differently,” the scientists say.

The larvae that had been in space were placed in the laboratory for further development and research. Scientists plan to study the changes that have occurred in their proteins, especially in the proteins of the cellular skeleton, to evaluate the response to stress, and to analyze the activity of genes in space in comparison with the activity of genes of a control group of flies on Earth. Scientific research Drosophila flies in space will allow scientists to develop mechanisms of protection against adverse factors for astronauts during future interplanetary flights.

Thus, insects in space feel quite well, survive and completely restore their metabolism, and this indicates that multicellular terrestrial organisms are capable long time exist in outer space. In the next few years, other more complex living organisms may also go into space along with fruit flies, scientists say.

Drosophila flies - Drosophila - fruit flies of the genus of small insects of the order Diptera (Diptera). There are about 1,500 described species. The dimensions of the front sights are 2.3mm. Most species of these small insects are found only where humans exist. Currently, the genomes of 12 species of Drosophila have been completely read. About 61% of known human diseases have a recognizable correspondence in genetic code fruit fly, 50% of protein sequences have analogues in mammals. Drosophila are used in genetic modeling of several human diseases, including Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases. The fly is also often used to study the mechanisms underlying immunity, diabetes, and cancer.