Water Bear – Tiny tardigrada that lives in the water. Photo: Earth Life According to CNN (USA), the SpaceX ship will carry necessities, scientific research experiments and even solar panels to the ISS station. In particular, 5,000 water bears and 128 small squids will also be sent to space this time. Both animals will participate in the experiments here. The scientists wanted to find out how water bears can tolerate the environment on the space station and whether microgravity affects the symbiotic relationship between squid and probiotics. Water bear in space Water bears look like little bears under a microscope. Photo: CNN According to Thomas Boothby, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Wyoming, water bears are known to be able to survive and thrive in the most extreme environments. They are a group of microorganisms that can survive under extreme pressure. “Water bears have the ability to survive drying, freezing and heating past boiling point. They can withstand radiation levels thousands of times higher than humans and can survive days or weeks without oxygen,” said Boothby. He said this is not the first time water bears have been sent into space. They have been shown to survive and reproduce in spaceflight, and can even survive long periods of exposure to the vacuum of space. “Scientists were able to sequence the genome of the water bear, thereby testing how the microorganism is affected by different environmental conditions based on their gene expression,” he said. more. Boothby’s experiment is also aimed at understanding how water bears are adapted to life in low Earth orbit. This could help to better understand the stressors humans face in the universe. The water bear will arrive at the ISS in a frozen state, then be defrosted, revived and grown in a special system. The results of the study will allow scientists to track which genes help water bears survive. For example, if researchers determine that water bears are making lots of antioxidants to help cope with high radiation levels, that means astronauts need to eat a diet rich in these nutrients. more anti-oxidant. “Our hope is that this knowledge will pave the way to the development of countermeasures or therapies to help protect astronauts during extended space missions,” said Boothby. Glowing squid ink Young long-tailed squid are swimming in sea water. Photo: CNN In addition, the researchers will also conduct the UMAMI experiment – a study that investigates microgravity on interactions between animals and microorganisms. Jamie Foster, a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida and the lead researcher on the experiment, said the study aimed to understand how healthy bacteria interact with animal tissue in space. . “Animals, including humans, rely on the microbiome to maintain a healthy gut and immune system,” Ms Foster said. “But we still don’t fully understand how the universe changes those beneficial interactions. The UMAMI experiment using glow-in-the-dark dumpling squid will shed light on these important issues in human health. “. The stomach squid is only about 3mm long, making it the perfect model to study for two reasons. They have special luminous organs in their bodies, which may contain a species of luminescent bacteria. The squid then uses the bacteria to glow in the dark. Since there’s only one species of bacteria and one type of host tissue, it’s easy for researchers to track how that happens. “Squid has a similar immune system to humans. We can see a lot of similarities in how the immune system responds to these beneficial bacteria in the space environment,” she added. The baby squid are born without bacteria, so they must be collected from the environment. The team of experts conducting the experiment will promote a symbiotic relationship by introducing bacteria into the squid and observing what happens in the first few hours. In the experiment, the squids will be placed in an automatic container. The pump will pump water or bacteria as they need it. After that, the squid tissue will be frozen on the ISS station and brought back to Earth. In addition, the scientists also carried out other experiments including mobile ultrasound, remote control of the robotic arm with virtual reality technology, analysis of how kidney stones form in space, studying the microbiome of the kidney. organisms in the mouth and produce more resistant cotton. Hundreds of scientific experiments are conducted every day on the ISS station, which is likened to a space laboratory. Astronauts will monitor this experiment and report their observations to researchers on Earth. These studies will help us better understand zero-gravity life and explore possible benefits on Earth.

People wear masks to prevent COVID-19 infection in Manila, Philippines, on March 20, 2021. Photo: THX / TTXVN The ban began to be enforced on March 20 and was initially expected to be lifted on April 21. However, the Philippines decided to extend the ban for more than a week as the Southeast Asian nation recorded an average of 10,000 new infections a day this week. Accordingly, foreigners are not allowed to enter the Philippines, except for some exceptions such as diplomats, medical staff, sailors working on cargo ships, spouses, children of Filipino citizens. together with them and a number of other humanitarian cases. According to Harry Roque, the Philippine President’s spokesman, the ban does not apply to foreign nationals with a waiver issued by the Philippine Foreign Ministry before March 22. As of April 15, the Philippines recorded a total of 904,285 cases of COVID-19, of which 15,594 were fatal. On the same day, the Government of India announced that the monuments, museums and monuments managed by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be closed until May 15, amid the number of cases. COVID-19 infection is increased in this South Asian country. In a statement, ASI stated: “Due to the raging COVID-19 epidemic, the government decided to close all protected monuments, monuments and museums, under ASI’s control, effective immediately and lasts until 5/15/2021 “. India is seeing an increase in the number of new cases of COVID-19. The Ministry of Health of this country on April 16 announced that the country had recorded 217,353 new infections in the past 24 hours. This is the 8th time that India has recorded a record high daily new cases in the past 9 days. The total number of COVID-19 cases in this country is now nearly 14.3 million, only after the US has more than 31 million cases. The total number of COVID-19 deaths in India also increased by 1,185 to 174,308.

Damage aboard Israel Hyperion Ray after being attacked

In response to Israel’s recent attack on Iran’s nuclear facility in Natanz, Isfahan province, Tehran launched a missile strike against an Israeli cargo ship off the coast of the UAE. , the Arab TV channel Al-Mayadin TV reported.

According to Israel’s Kan TV, the Mossad special forces were behind the attack at the uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan.

Official representative of the Iranian government, Ali Rabiyi, later announced that there would be a hard reaction from the Islamic Republic to the actions of the organizers and perpetrators of the Natanz nuclear facility.

The Hyperion Ray of Israel

Mr. Rabiyi threatened: “There will be retaliation and retaliation in the territory of the invader.”

Another response to such attacks would be the further development of Iran’s nuclear program and the show of determination not to give up, a government spokesperson added.

Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility was attacked by Israel

Tehran quickly turned from words to actions and promises to respond. So Israel’s Hyperion Ray, operating near the UAE territory of the Emirate of Fujairah, traveling from Kuwait, was attacked.

None of the ship’s crew members were injured and the ship itself was slightly damaged. According to Israel, the Iranian army was behind the attack and fired missiles at Hyperion Ray from a ship or drone.