27 October 2016
China's Tiangong-2 space lab has six silkworms for experiments, and some of them have begun to spin cocoons one week after entering space. The silkworms are nestled in a specially made box. The six were selected from 4000 silkworms specially cultivated by scientists.
The astronauts have been tending to them during down time, feeding them mulberry leaves. The experiment was designed by Hong Kong middle school students. Once returned to earth, these cocoons will be compared with others for the way they've spun their cocoons and the quality of silk in a zero-gravity environment.
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