Hundreds of tiny worms blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX's Cargo Dragon 2 spacecraft to help scientists understand more about human muscle loss and how to prevent it.

The nematode worm species, known as Caenorhabditis elegans, are being flown to the ISS on Thursday as part of a new project involving UK scientists.

The hope is that the research could also help shed light on developing new treatments for muscular dystrophies - a group of inherited genetic conditions that gradually cause the muscles to weaken.

The mission follows on from previous research carried out by the same team in 2018, who were investigating how molecular changes in space affects muscle and metabolism.

Read more here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/03/thousands-worms-shot-space-muscle-loss-mission/

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