π°οΈ Corn growth in space reveals gravity's direction cue
Nasa scientists found that microgravity completely changes how corn seedlings grow when tested in space. This research was conducted using dry corn kernels launched aboard a space shuttle for a 1992 experiment. The seedlings developed healthy tissue but lost their sense of direction, growing in tangled patterns instead of straight lines. Gravity normally acts as a compass, telling roots to go down and shoots to go up on Earth. Future missions to Mars require understanding this loss of orientation to design proper food growth systems.