Nasa scientists grew corn seeds in space and found something strange: How microgravity confused roots & shoots that normally know exactly which way to grow

What happens when a plant seed tries to grow without gravity telling its roots which way is down and its shoots which way is up? Nasa has been exploring that question for decades, including through an early 1990s space shuttle experiment involving corn seeds.

Researchers allowed dry corn kernels to germinate in orbit for five days and compared the seedlings with plants grown under normal gravity on Earth. The space-grown corn developed healthy-looking tissues, but its roots and shoots behaved very differently. Without gravity providing a clear directional cue, they lost their usual orientation and grew in less predictable directions.