A tiny transparent worm could be the key to finding out how to stop the frailty and ill health which often comes with old age.

British scientists are sending tens of thousands of worms into space in a government backed project to see if two drugs can prevent or slow down muscle wasting brought on by microgravity.

In space, the 1mm long c-elegans worms have nothing to push against to maintain their muscle mass and so quickly start losing strength, mirroring the effect experienced by elderly people back on Earth or those with conditions like muscular dystrophy.

But researchers at Nottingham University are hoping that by either boosting the cell batteries - known as mitochondria - or improving their uptake of calcium, they can slow down the process or even prevent it entirely.

The microscopic worms share many of the essential biological characteristics as humans and are affected by biological changes in space, including alterations to muscle and the ability to use energy.

Dr Bethan Phillips, Assistant Professor, Clinical, Metabolic & Molecular Physiology, said: “We know that microgravity accelerates the effects of muscle disuse similar to when elderly people are bedbound or are recovering from an injury.

“Skeletal muscle is linked to many systems in the body, such as the immune system, so the health implications are not just loss of movement they are far more widespread.