Investigating the Effects of Cosmic Radiation on Seeds

The IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have sent seeds into space, to investigate the effects of cosmic radiation and harsh space conditions on breeding new crop varieties to withstand the effects of climate change and help fight global hunger. It is the first time the IAEA and FAO are conducting an astrobiology project, based on 60 years of experience of the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture in inducing mutations in plants for improving crops.