NASA studies fruit flies to understand astronaut sleep cycles
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NASA astronaut and microbiologist Kate Rubins holds fruit fly genetic material aboard the International Space Station on December 21 after analyzing the substance using new techniques. Photo courtesy of NASA
Fruit flies are shown an a laboratory at NASA Ames Research Center in California, where they are raised for experiments aboard the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of NASA
Fruit flies are packed into a small plastic NASA cartridge with food for delivery to the International Space Station. Photo courtesy of NASA
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Tiny fruit flies are helping NASA study how brain activity and sleep patterns change when organisms live in the microgravity of space.