In 2005, Nasa sent five geckos into space for 16 days without food or water, with later tests revealing changes in their bones and liver cells

In 2005, five thick-toed geckos left Earth aboard the unmanned Russian spacecraft Foton-M2, embarking on a 16-day orbital flight with no access to food or water. The mission, a joint undertaking between Nasa and the Russian Academy of Sciences, was designed to test whether a reptile species could serve as a viable model for studying the effects of microgravity on living tissue, an area of research long dominated by rodents and amphibians.