In 1992, Nasa put live frogs and their eggs aboard the Space Shuttle; the eggs were fertilised and developed in microgravity |
For a developing frog embryo, gravity is more than the force that keeps it on the ground. It can provide a reference for how the egg is oriented as development begins, helping establish the direction in which the embryo will form. Nasa wanted to find out what would happen if that reference disappeared. During a…