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The special astronauts – soybean and rhizobia

Minuscule seeds might sound like unusual candidates for space travel. But they were recently put aboard a spaceship and sent soaring into space. The unique environment of space can induce genetic mutations in seeds, some of which may benefit crop growth. In May, CUHK Professor Lam Hon-Ming sent specimens of rhizobia (bacteria that partner with soybeans to fix nitrogen) into space on the Tianzhou-6 cargo spacecraft followed by soybean cultivars on the Shenzhou-16 crewed spacecraft. This is the first Hong Kong agricultural research project launched into space, opening a new chapter for the integration of aerospace and agricultural technology.