Results from the first CRISPR experiment in space are in

The six astronauts aboard the International Space Station just got results from the first CRISPR experiment in space, and the answer was … pink. As part of ISS's “Genes in Space” program, the crew ran an experiment designed by a group of Minnesota high school students. Cosmic rays break DNA, and NASA wanted to know whether cells repair such breaks neatly and safely, by copying undamaged DNA, or chaotically, by patching it with random DNA in a possibly cancer-causing way. CRISPR induces the same kind of DNA break as radiation, and the astronauts saw that CRISPR’d yeast cells turned pink, indicating the cells had incorporated the DNA patch that included a color-causing mutation to immediately show results. Whether human cells will react similarly is still in the air, but this small step may mean a giant leap someday for human space travel.