Tag Archive for 'Spaceflight'

JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide, ISS Expedition 32 flight engineer, taking a space selfie during extravehicular activity on September 5, 2012, with the Sun behind him. Image credit: NASA.

Long Duration Spaceflights Destroy Red Blood Cells and Bone: Study

Aug 23, 2023 by News Staff

But our body can eventually replenish them back on Earth with the help of bone marrow fat, according to new research. JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide, ISS Expedition...

Strong evidence suggesting that frying in space is possible. Image credit: Lioumbas et al., doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.112249.

Is Frying Possible in Space?

Jun 12, 2023 by Natali Anderson

French fries are a very popular food commodity across many cultural backgrounds on Earth and as such they may be appreciated by long-term space travelers....

The space salad. Image credit: University of Adelaide.

Researchers Create Space Salad for Astronauts

Mar 3, 2023 by News Staff

The space salad contains ingredients — including soybean, poppy, barley, kale, peanuts, sweet potato and sunflower seeds — that could be grown...

Gabel et al. examined bone strength, density, and microarchitecture in seventeen astronauts using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography. Image credit: NASA.

Microgravity Induces Irreversible Damage to Bone Strength and Density, Says New Study

Jul 4, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists from the University of Calgary and elsewhere have followed 17 International Space Station astronauts before and after spaceflight over the last...

Spaceflight is known to impose changes on human physiology with unknown molecular etiologies. To reveal these causes, da Silveira et al. used a multi-omics, systems biology analytical approach using biomedical profiles from 59 astronauts and data from NASA’s GeneLab derived from hundreds of samples flown in space to determine transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and epigenetic responses to spaceflight. Image credit: da Silveira et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.002.

Spaceflight Impairs Mitochondrial Function, New Research Shows

Nov 26, 2020 by News Staff

Critical parts of a cell’s energy production machinery, the mitochondria, can be made dysfunctional due to changes in gravity, radiation exposure and...

Willis et al. performed comparative transcriptomic analysis of Caenorhabditis elegans responses to varying degrees of hypergravity and to two spaceflight experiments. Image credit: Willis et al., doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101734.

Spaceflight-Induced Microgravity Affects Genes, Study Shows

Nov 25, 2020 by News Staff

A genetic analysis of transparent nematodes Caenorhabditis elegans on the International Space Station showed ‘subtle changes’ in about 1,000 genes;...

Reconstructed sagittal 5-mm orthogonal midline images in the brain using the sagittal 3D T1-weighted data set: (left) preflight baseline image and (right) matching postflight image (postflight day 1) in the same astronaut; the black arrowheads show upward expansion of the anterior, middle, and posterior superior margins of the lateral ventricle with associated narrowing of the marginal sulcus of the cingulate sulcus (white arrowhead); there is subtle expansion of the third ventricle (indicated by a 3), which has displaced the thalamus (T) from midline, making it less visible; there is thickening of the intermediate signal scalp soft tissues (arrows). Image credit: Kramer et al, doi: 10.1148/radiol.2020191413.

Study: Long-Duration Spaceflight Affects Brain Volume

Apr 16, 2020 by News Staff

A new study led by Professor Larry Kramer from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston suggests that the impact of microgravity is far-reaching,...

The Expedition 20 crew members share a meal in the Unity node of the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA.

Spaceflight Can Cause Sustained Defect in Epithelial Barrier Function, New Study Shows

Nov 27, 2019 by News Staff

Epithelial cells that line our intestines serve as a robust barrier to invasion by viruses, bacteria and exposure to ingested agents. A new study, published...

Long-Duration Spaceflight Alters Brain Connectivity: Study

Aug 20, 2019 by News Staff

An international team of scientists has found alterations of task-based functional brain connectivity in a group of astronauts after a long-duration spaceflight....

Acharya et al uncovered striking neurobehavioral and electrophysiological defects in rodents subjected to continuous (6 month) low dose rate (1 mGy/day) neutron exposures. Image credit: NASA.

Exposure to Radiation in Deep Space May Impair Learning and Memory

Aug 6, 2019 by News Staff

In a study by researchers from the University of California, Irvine and elsewhere, exposure to chronic, low dose radiation — the conditions present...

Resveratrol May Protect against Muscle Atrophy Induced by Martian Gravity

Jul 19, 2019 by News Staff

In a study done in rats, a moderate daily dose of resveratrol — a natural antioxidant found in more than 70 species of plants such as grapes, cranberries,...

Now retired twin astronauts, Scott (right) and Mark (left) Kelly, are subjects of NASA’s Twins Study. Image credit: Derek Storm, www.derekstorm.com.

NASA’s Twins Study Provides Biomolecular View into How Human Body Responds to Spaceflight

Apr 12, 2019 by News Staff

NASA’s Twins Study brought ten teams of researchers from around the country together to observe what physiological, molecular and cognitive changes could...