Muscle Atrophy in Space: Causes, Consequences, and Countermeasures
Living and working in space is mentally strenuous. But the absence of gravity makes working in a spacecraft physically undemanding. On Earth, we must constantly use certain muscles to support ourselves against the force of gravity. These muscles, commonly called antigravity muscles, include the calf muscles, the quadriceps, and the muscles of the back and […]
Virus Infection Risk in Space: A Major Challenge for Long-Term Space Exploration
The risk of virus infection in space is higher than on Earth due to a number of factors, including microgravity, cosmic radiation, isolation, and the closed environment of the space capsule or space station. This can pose a major challenge for long-term space exploration, as even a minor virus infection could have serious consequences for […]
Mars 520 mission
The Mars 520 mission was a long-duration isolation experiment conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) from 2009 to 2011. The goal of the experiment was to simulate the psychological and physiological effects of a crewed mission to Mars, which would take about […]
Quantitative proteomic analytic approaches to identify metabolic changes in the medial prefrontal cortex of rats exposed to space radiation
Link to the paper: https://www.frontiersin.org/…/fphys.2022.971282/full The paper aims to identify metabolic changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of rats exposed to space radiation (SR) and outlines strategies for analyzing sub-optimal data sets and identifying new information. The study conducted proteomic analysis on rats exposed to SR and found decreased mitochondrial function and alterations in […]
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a region of the brain located in the frontal lobe, just behind the forehead. It is involved in a variety of cognitive functions, including decision making, social cognition, emotion regulation, motivation, and working memory. Anatomy The mPFC is divided into four subregions: Medial precentral area (PrCm) This subregion is […]
Utilizing the KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on a Suborbital Spaceflight
Link to the paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/11/1871# The paper discusses a method using KSC Fixation Tubes (KFTs) to carry and fix biology during suborbital space flights, allowing for human-tended research on short-term gravitational effects in biological systems. The KFTs are activated at different stages of the flight to fix the plants, and RNA-seq analysis shows that plants […]
Usage of KSC Fixation Tube to Conduct Human-Tended Plant Biology Experiments on Suborbital Space Flights
Plants are essential for life on Earth, and they play a vital role in many aspects of human society. However, plants are also sensitive to changes in their environment, and they can be damaged by the harsh conditions of space. Microgravity, radiation, and temperature are just a few of the factors that can affect plant […]
Genomic characterization and radiation tolerance of Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. and Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. from Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities
Link to the paper: https://imafungus.biomedcentral.com/…/s43008-023-00119-4 This paper describes the isolation and characterization of two novel fungal strains, Naganishia kalamii and Cystobasidium onofrii, from the Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities. The strains were identified using a combination of traditional morphology methods, phylogenetic analysis, and whole genome sequencing. The genomic analysis revealed proteins associated with stress-response and […]
Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. : a radiation-tolerant yeast with potential applications in space exploration
Cystobasidium onofrii sp. nov. is a novel species of fungus that was recently discovered in the Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities. It is a member of the Basidiomycota phylum, and it is most closely related to the fungus Cystobasidium albinellum. The species is named after Dr. Onofrii P. Stanchev, a leading expert on fungi. Cystobasidium […]
Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. : a radiation-tolerant yeast with potential applications in space exploration
Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. is a novel species of yeast that was recently discovered in the Mars 2020 mission assembly facilities. The facilities are located in cleanrooms that are designed to minimize the presence of microorganisms. The discovery of Naganishia kalamii sp. nov. suggests that the yeast is able to survive in extreme environments, such […]