Christina Johnson, a PhD candidate at the Miami University Graduate School has completed her dissertation on Arabidopsis Thaliana grown in microgravity.

Dr. Johnson analyzed data from STS-131 (BRIC-16).  STS-131 was a shuttle launch in April of 2010.  STS-131 has yielded valuable data for astrobotany researchers.  Other papers include Kwon et al., 2015, which examined transcriptional response to spaceflight and revealed interactions with peroxidases and cell wall remodeling.

I can’t possibly do this 198 page dissertation justice by summarizing it (also I’ve only just skimmed it), but I highly recommend it for any spaceflight plant biology researcher.  Dr. Johnson provides insight on genomic changes to A. Thaliana, including actin cytoskeleton rearrangement, cell wall development and stress response.

Read her dissertation here:

Analyses of Arabidopsis Seedlings Grown in Microgravity

Her dedication: “To the future Botanists, for there will be many.”

Let’s grow plants in space.