A teaspoon of yeast is among the cargo on the Russian vehicle Progress that blasted off on Thursday for the International Space Station. The yeast is part of an experiment that will study the effect of microgravity on gene expression, with the long-term goal of learning how to safeguard human health in space.The study was funded in 2002 but seems particularly timely now, coming shortly after US President George W Bush outlined an initiative that will focus ISS firmly on advancing human spaceflight.
