When millions in India were watching what astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla was doing aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in July, they would have noticed him seemingly tinkering with the contents of an enclosed glass box. Shukla was carrying out operations for research on how microgravity shapes muscle atrophy. Such research could result in findings that help people suffering from age-related muscle decline or limited mobility.
Shukla, on behalf of Indian researchers, carried out experimental tests on muscle stem cells, sprouting methi and moong seeds, and whether microalgae can be used to produce food, oxygen and biofuels. His work put the

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