Taiwan is to send plant seeds to outer space for the first time in October to observe how the space environment affects their genetic makeup, the National Space Organization (NSPO) said yesterday.
The Space Seeds for Asian Future program is being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Nine nations, including Taiwan, are participating in the program this year, with 16 kinds of seeds expected to be sent to the International Space Station (ISS), where they would stay for about four months, the NSPO said.
Participating nations have primarily chosen the seeds of endemic plants or plants with symbolic meaning, it said, adding that some are crop seeds.
Photo: Chen Hsien-i, Taipei Times
The NSPO collaborated with National Chung Hsing University’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute, which is overseen by the Council of Agriculture, to choose which seeds to send, it said.
The college has chosen the seeds of Formosa lambsquarters, Phalaenopsis equestris, which is a kind of “butterfly orchid” originating from Lesser Orchid Island (小蘭嶼), and sunflowers, while the institute has picked chili pepper seeds, the NSPO said.
The seeds to be sent to the ISS weigh 10g, 1g, 20g and 16g respectively, it added.
The seeds selected by the university have arrived in Japan and are expected to be sent to the US next month, the NSPO said, adding that they would be returned to Taiwan in February next year.
The university is to plant the seeds following their return and observe how factors such as microgravity and space radiation affect their growth, it said.
Experts chose which seeds to send following multiple meetings with academics specializing in plants after assessing factors such as contribution to teaching and research, and weight limits for space travel, college dean Chan Fu-chih (詹富智) said.
As Japan and the US have different regulations regarding the importation of seeds, lengthy preparations had to be made, such as filling out forms on the quarantine of imported and exported seeds, as well as advance virus tests on them, Chan said.
Formosa lambsquarters, also endemic to Taiwan, is a traditional crop grown by Aborigines, but little research has been dedicated to it, while sunflower is a common plant, making it a convenient target for observation and research, she said.
Thailand and Australia have picked the seeds of their national flowers, the ratchaphruek and the golden wattle respectively; New Zealand is sending the seeds of the pohutukawa, an endemic plant; Indonesia is sending celery and onion seeds; and Malaysia the seed of holy basil, the NSPO said.
TAIWAN PROTECTION MEASURE: US Army General Charles Flynn would not say where in the Asia-Pacific the missiles would be sent, but only that they would arrive in 2024 The US is to send medium-range missiles including the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk to the Asia-Pacific next year to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan, US military news Web site Defense One reported. The report cited comments US Army General Charles Flynn made during the annual Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 19. “We have tested them and we have a battery or two of them today,” Flynn was quoted as saying. “In [20]24. We intend to deploy that system in your region. I’m not going to say where and when. But I will just say that we will
UNUSUAL UPTICK: There are more flu-like illnesses in northern China than in the past 3 years, but data from Beijing showed that known pathogens are responsible Responding to an uptick in respiratory illnesses in China, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has instructed international airport and port quarantine centers to raise their alert levels, and plans to issue an alert to healthcare practitioners. The number of flu-like illnesses reported in northern China has been increasing for five consecutive weeks, and is higher than the same period in the past three years, CDC Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said. “According to the WHO’s latest statement, issued yesterday, information provided by Chinese government showed that the illnesses were mainly reported among children, and the illnesses were attributed
LOYALTY: The 10 active and retired soldiers betrayed the nation and its people by leaking and passing on military secrets to China, the High Prosecutors’ Office said Ten former and current military officers were yesterday indicted on charges of spying for China, including two who allegedly filmed themselves pledging loyalty to Beijing. The High Prosecutors’ Office requested life imprisonment for the suspects in light of the severity of the crime. The 10 active-duty and retired officers included members of the 601st Brigade of the Aviation Special Forces comprising attack helicopter squadrons and elite combat units in charge of defending northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other suspects came from Huadong Defense Command, in charge of defending the eastern coast; Kinmen Defense Command, in charge of defending Kinmen and Matsu; and one
LOCAL INDUSTRY SAFE: Despite global expansion plans, 90% of Taiwanese IC suppliers’ production would stay in Taiwan, the National Development Council minister said Taiwan’s semiconductor firms are expected to invest US$210 billion over the next five years to cement the country’s lead over its peers in the global IC market, National Development Council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said on Friday. Digital transformation in the high-tech sector had become an irreversible international trend, Kung told an investment forum on business start-ups. The government would continue to encourage the local semiconductor industry to invest by providing incentives under the Statute for Industrial Innovation (產業創新條例), Kung said. Taiwanese semiconductor firms are expected to move their investments out of the China due to a restructuring of global supply chains amid