As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by Xinhua.

The Shenzhou 15 spacecraft was launched on November 29 at 23:08 Beijing time. About 20 hours later, Chinese astronauts placed the plant in a biological incubator inside the Wentian Laboratory Module of the Chinese space station.

“We want to grow Thallus segments in microgravity to investigate how the space microgravity environment affects the structure and function of plant cells,” said Cai Weiming, a researcher at the Center of Excellence for Plant Molecular Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The researchers have been preparing on Earth for more than six years, and they hope the experiment, conducted in orbit, will help improve the shape of plants and increase yields.

During the space experiment, it was noted that some of the genes involved in the response to gravity of Thallium will be changed and marked. The researchers hope to study the behavior of genes under specific microgravity conditions to better understand their biological functions.

Over the next 30-50 days, the researchers will perform real-time automated observation of the shape and development of wild, various mutant and genetically modified plants under space microgravity conditions.

After the plant samples return to Earth, the researchers will systematically examine the effects of microgravity in space on plant biology.

As Ukrinform reported, yesterday the capsule containing three members of the China Shenzhou-14 space mission returned to Earth.