Call for articles to cite in the weekly lists: Authors at NASA Centers and NASA PIs—do you have an article that has recently published or will publish in the upcoming weeks within a peer-reviewed journal and is in the scope of space life sciences? If so, send it our way! Send your article to the email address mentioned above. Articles received by Wednesday will appear within that week’s list—articles received after Wednesday will appear the following week.
Papers deriving from NASA support:
1
Brojakowska A, Kour A, Thel MC, Park E, Bisserier M, Garikipati VNS, Hadri L, Mills PJ, Walsh K, Goukassian DA.
Retrospective analysis of somatic mutations and clonal hematopoiesis in astronauts.
Note: From the abstract: “With planned deep space and commercial spaceflights, gaps remain to address health risks in astronauts. Multiple studies have shown associations between clonal expansion of hematopoietic cells with hematopoietic malignancies and cardiometabolic disease. This expansion of clones in the absence of overt hematopoietic disorders is termed clonal hematopoiesis (CH) of indeterminate potential (CHIP). Using deep, error-corrected, targeted DNA sequencing we assayed for somatic mutations in CH-driver genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from de-identified blood samples collected from 14 astronauts who flew Shuttle missions between 1998-2001.”
Journal Impact Factor: 6.548
Funding: “We would like to thank the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health (LSAH) at NASA Johnson Space Center for their assistance with mission information and manuscript review. This work was supported by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health award FIP0005 (to Dr. Goukassian), National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Research Program Space Biology Element grant 80NSSC19K1079 (to Dr. Goukassian), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human Research Program Space Biology Element grant 80NSSC21K0549 (to Drs. Goukassian and Walsh).”
Funding: “EGB and MAF were supported by the Translational Research Institute for Space Health through Cooperative Agreement with NASA (NNX16AO69A). HJD, GMG, and GAH were supported by NIH (NIAMS) grant R01 (AR068132), NASA grant 80NSSC18K1473, and National Space Biological Research Institute grant NSBRI/NASA, (MA02802). LJS is supported by R01HD102909 and 4R37 AA018282 from NIH.”
3
Omer M, Ali H, Orlovskaya N, Ballesteros A, Cheong VS, Martyniak K, Wei F, Collins BE, Yarmolenko SN, Asiatico J, Kinzel M, Ngo C, Sankar J, Calder A, Gilbertson T, Meckmongkol T, Ghosh R, Coathup M.
Omega-9 modifies viscoelasticity and augments bone strength and architecture in a high-fat diet-fed murine model.
Funding: “This study was internally funded. Authors JA and CN’s work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration [grant No. 80NSSC21M0309] issued through the NASA Office of STEM Engagement.”
4
Stone KA, Mahoney SJ, Paryzek RA, Pitts L, Stastny SN, Mitchell SL, Downs ME, English KL, Hackney KJ.
Intermittent blood flow restriction exercise rapidly improves muscular and cardiovascular health in adults with beyond adequate protein intakes.
Note: From the abstract: “Functional losses associated with spaceflight negatively influence astronaut health and mission success. Exercise combined with protein supplementation is a promising countermeasure. Blood flow restricted (BFR) exercise is an effective modality, but synergistic benefits when combined with protein supplementation are not clearly identified. The purposes of this investigation were to determine if blended (e.g., whey and casein) protein supplementation combined with BFR exercise favorably altered body composition, muscle function, and cardiovascular health during a short training program.”
Journal Impact Factor: 2.954
Funding: M. Everett is affiliated with NASA Johnson Space Center.
5
Smith KJ, Datta A, Burkhart C, Clark TK.
Efficacy of galvanic vestibular stimulation as a display modality dissociated from self-orientation.
Hum Factors. 2022 Aug 16;187208221119879. Online ahead of print.
Note: From the abstract: “Wearable non-invasive biosensors for the continuous monitoring of metabolites in sweat can detect a few analytes at sufficiently high concentrations, typically during vigorous exercise so as to generate sufficient quantity of the biofluid. Here, we report the design and performance of a wearable electrochemical biosensor for the continuous analysis, in sweat during physical exercise and at rest, of trace levels of multiple metabolites and nutrients, including all essential amino acids and vitamins.” This article may be obtained online without charge.
Journal Impact Factor: 29.234
Funding: “This project was supported by the National Institutes of Health grant R01HL155815, Office of Naval Research grants N00014-21-1-2483 and N00014-21-1-2845, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health through NASA NNX16AO69A, NASA Cooperative Agreement 80NSSC20M0167, High Impact Pilot Research Award T31IP1666 and grant R01RG3746 from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, Caltech-City of Hope Biomedical Initiative Pilot Grant and the Rothenberg Innovation Initiative Program at California Institute of Technology. J.T. was supported by the National Science Scholarship (NSS) from the Agency of Science Technology and Research (A*STAR) Singapore.”
7
Weber Boutros S, Unni VK, Raber J.
An adaptive role for DNA double-strand breaks in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory.
Note: This article is part of Research Topic “Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Brain Disease: Hippocampus as a Nodal Point” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/Hippocampus). This article may be obtained online without charge.
Journal Impact Factor: 6.208
Funding: “This work was partially funded by a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship award, NASA NSCOR G-00066-4, R21 CA223461, R21 AG065914, RF1 AG059088, P30 AG066509, NS102227, F31 AG067629, Knight CVP-003, and the development accounts of Unni and Raber.”
Note: From the abstract: “Neuronal activity is the key modulator of nearly every aspect of behavior, affecting cognition, learning, and memory as well as motion. Hence, disturbances of the transmission of synaptic signals are the main cause of many neurological disorders. Lesions to nervous tissues are associated with phenotypic changes mediated by astrocytes becoming reactive. Reactive astrocytes form the basis of astrogliosis and glial scar formation. Astrocyte reactivity is often targeted to inhibit axon dystrophy and thus promote neuronal regeneration. Here, we aim to understand the impact of gravitational loading induced by hypergravity to potentially modify key features of astrocyte reactivity. We exposed primary murine astrocytes as a model system closely resembling the in vivo reactivity phenotype on custom-built centrifuges for cultivation as well as for live-cell imaging under hypergravity conditions in a physiological range (2gand 10g).” This article and the article above (Baran et al.) are part of Topic “Translation from Microgravity Research to Earth Application” (https://www.mdpi.com/topics/microgravity_research). This article may be obtained online without charge.
4
Ibrahim Z, Ramachandran G, El-Huneidi W, Elmoselhi A, Qaisar R.
Suppression of endoplasmic reticulum stress prevents disuse muscle atrophy in a mouse model of microgravity.
Note: From the abstract: “Hindlimb unloaded (HLU) mouse model exhibits skeletal muscle atrophy and weakness mimicking the conditions such as prolonged spaceflight. However, the molecular mechanisms and interventions of muscle loss during muscle unloading remain elusive. Dysfunction of protein folding by ednoplasmic reticulum (ER), a condition called ER stress, is implicated in diseases of various cell types, but its contribution to skeletal muscle detriment remains elusive. In this study, we investigated the contribution of ER stress to muscle atrophy.”
5
Naito M, Kodaira S.
Considerations for practical dose equivalent assessment of space radiation and exposure risk reduction in deep space.
Note: From the abstract: “International Space Station partner nations have yet to agree on career radiation dose constraints. This is of increasing concern for collaborative mission planning beyond low-Earth orbit, since it is likely that one or two long-duration missions will expose crew to a cumulative dose that approaches or exceeds their current respective limits. As with radiological effects, the cumulative health impact of the numerous other injuries and illnesses documented during spaceflight is inherently heightened with longer and farther missions, say to the Moon and Mars. This paper summarizes the origin of existing radiological constraints employed by the Canadian Space Agency and explores how to build upon these protection practices to address the challenges associated with beyond low-Earth orbit missions.”
7
Nakamura JL.
Considerations for carcinogenesis countermeasure development using mouse models.
Life Sci Space Res. 2022 Aug 12. Online ahead of print.
Note: From the abstract: “Activities in space will expose humans to profoundly new environments, challenging human performance and will require innovative supportive technologies. Among these environmental variables, exposure to ionizing radiation is a major concern for astronauts, as the long-term effects of exposure on diverse tissues are poorly understood. This need however creates opportunities for novel approaches, particularly in the development of countermeasures against the effects of ionizing radiation exposure. Carcinogenesis presents a unique challenge as a disease process, due to the inherent complexities of the process and the challenges of obtaining a large volume of clinical evidence. Thus, developing the countermeasures to address potential effects of ionizing radiation exposure will require understanding biological underpinnings to design countermeasures effectively in conjunction with highly robust modeling approaches to test and examine in vivo. This review will highlight specific considerations for accelerated development of space radiation countermeasures against carcinogenesis.”
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Liu H, Li BW, Chen J, Shen Z, Zhang X, Wang J, Nan CW.
Concurrent enhancement of breakdown strength and dielectric constant in poly(vinylidene fluoride) film with high energy storage density by ultraviolet irradiation.
Note: From the abstract: “Whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) has an adverse effect on the nervous system and neurophysiological performance. In the present study, we examined whether short-duration whole-body immersion in 45°C water (HWI-45°C), which produces a strong neural and temperature flux without inducing WBH, can increase or impair neurophysiological performance in humans.” This article may be obtained online without charge.
11
Chen X, Tang K, Li X, Zhang C, Xin Y, Li K, Tan Y.
Biomechanics of cancer stem cells.
Essays Biochem. 2022 Aug 9;EBC20220014. Review. Online ahead of print.
Ruotsalainen SE, Surakka I, Mars N, Karjalainen J, Kurki M, Kanai M, Krebs K, Graham S, Mishra PP, Mishra BH, Sinisalo J, Palta P, Lehtimäki T, Raitakari O, Milani L, Okada Y, Palotie A, Widen E, Daly MJ, Ripatti S.
Inframe insertion and splice site variants in MFGE8 associate with protection against coronary atherosclerosis.
Note: From the abstract: “Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of premature death and disability worldwide, with both genetic and environmental determinants. The most common cardiovascular disease is coronary heart disease (CHD), including coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction, among others. While genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified multiple genetic loci associated with cardiovascular diseases, exact genes driving these associations remain mostly uncovered.”
13
Han R, Yu L, Zhao C, Li Y, Ma Y, Zhai Y, Qian Z, Gu Y, Li S.
Inhibition of SerpinB9 to enhance granzyme B-based tumor therapy by using a modified biomimetic nanoplatform with a cascade strategy.
Biomaterials. 2022 Aug 6;121723. Online ahead of print.
Berli M, Franco F, Di Paolo J, Zioupos P, Borau C.
The interplay between BMU activity linked to mechanical stress, specific surface and inhibitory theory dictate bone mass distribution: Predictions from a 3D computational model.
Pelusi L, Mandatori D, Di Pietrantonio N, Del Pizzo F, Di Tomo P, Di Pietro N, Buda R, Genovese S, Epifano F, Pandolfi A, Fiorito S, Pipino C.Estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) and the Wnt/β-catenin pathway mediate the effect of the coumarin derivative umbelliferon on bone mineralization.
Note: From the abstract: “In this study, we address the question: Can the central nervous system stabilize vertical posture in the abundant space of neural commands? We assume that the control of vertical posture is associated with setting spatial referent coordinates (RC) for the involved muscle groups, which translates into two basic commands, reciprocal and co-activation. We explored whether the two commands co-varied across trials to stabilize the initial postural state.”
More than 40 trillion gallons of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene and a run-of-the-mill rainstorm that sloshed in ahead of it — an unheard of amount of water that has stunned experts.
That’s enough to fill the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium 51,000 times, or Lake Tahoe just once. If it was concentrated just on the state of North Carolina that much water would be 3.5 feet deep (more than 1 meter). It’s enough to fill more than 60 million Olympic-size swimming pools.
“That’s an astronomical amount of precipitation,” said Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “I have not seen something in my 25 years of working at the weather service that is this geographically large of an extent and the sheer volume of water that fell from the sky.”
The flood damage from the rain is apocalyptic, meteorologists said. More than 100 people are dead, according to officials.
Private meteorologist Ryan Maue, a former NOAA chief scientist, calculated the amount of rain, using precipitation measurements made in 2.5-mile-by-2.5 mile grids as measured by satellites and ground observations. He came up with 40 trillion gallons through Sunday for the eastern United States, with 20 trillion gallons of that hitting just Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas and Florida from Hurricane Helene.
Clark did the calculations independently and said the 40 trillion gallon figure (151 trillion liters) is about right and, if anything, conservative. Maue said maybe 1 to 2 trillion more gallons of rain had fallen, much if it in Virginia, since his calculations.
Clark, who spends much of his work on issues of shrinking western water supplies, said to put the amount of rain in perspective, it’s more than twice the combined amount of water stored by two key Colorado River basin reservoirs: Lake Powell and Lake Mead.
Several meteorologists said this was a combination of two, maybe three storm systems. Before Helene struck, rain had fallen heavily for days because a low pressure system had “cut off” from the jet stream — which moves weather systems along west to east — and stalled over the Southeast. That funneled plenty of warm water from the Gulf of Mexico. And a storm that fell just short of named status parked along North Carolina’s Atlantic coast, dumping as much as 20 inches of rain, said North Carolina state climatologist Kathie Dello.
Then add Helene, one of the largest storms in the last couple decades and one that held plenty of rain because it was young and moved fast before it hit the Appalachians, said University of Albany hurricane expert Kristen Corbosiero.
“It was not just a perfect storm, but it was a combination of multiple storms that that led to the enormous amount of rain,” Maue said. “That collected at high elevation, we’re talking 3,000 to 6000 feet. And when you drop trillions of gallons on a mountain, that has to go down.”
The fact that these storms hit the mountains made everything worse, and not just because of runoff. The interaction between the mountains and the storm systems wrings more moisture out of the air, Clark, Maue and Corbosiero said.
North Carolina weather officials said their top measurement total was 31.33 inches in the tiny town of Busick. Mount Mitchell also got more than 2 feet of rainfall.
Before 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, “I said to our colleagues, you know, I never thought in my career that we would measure rainfall in feet,” Clark said. “And after Harvey, Florence, the more isolated events in eastern Kentucky, portions of South Dakota. We’re seeing events year in and year out where we are measuring rainfall in feet.”
Storms are getting wetter as the climate change s, said Corbosiero and Dello. A basic law of physics says the air holds nearly 4% more moisture for every degree Fahrenheit warmer (7% for every degree Celsius) and the world has warmed more than 2 degrees (1.2 degrees Celsius) since pre-industrial times.
Corbosiero said meteorologists are vigorously debating how much of Helene is due to worsening climate change and how much is random.
For Dello, the “fingerprints of climate change” were clear.
“We’ve seen tropical storm impacts in western North Carolina. But these storms are wetter and these storms are warmer. And there would have been a time when a tropical storm would have been heading toward North Carolina and would have caused some rain and some damage, but not apocalyptic destruction. ”
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
It’s a dinosaur that roamed Alberta’s badlands more than 70 million years ago, sporting a big, bumpy, bony head the size of a baby elephant.
On Wednesday, paleontologists near Grande Prairie pulled its 272-kilogram skull from the ground.
They call it “Big Sam.”
The adult Pachyrhinosaurus is the second plant-eating dinosaur to be unearthed from a dense bonebed belonging to a herd that died together on the edge of a valley that now sits 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
It didn’t die alone.
“We have hundreds of juvenile bones in the bonebed, so we know that there are many babies and some adults among all of the big adults,” Emily Bamforth, a paleontologist with the nearby Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, said in an interview on the way to the dig site.
She described the horned Pachyrhinosaurus as “the smaller, older cousin of the triceratops.”
“This species of dinosaur is endemic to the Grand Prairie area, so it’s found here and nowhere else in the world. They are … kind of about the size of an Indian elephant and a rhino,” she added.
The head alone, she said, is about the size of a baby elephant.
The discovery was a long time coming.
The bonebed was first discovered by a high school teacher out for a walk about 50 years ago. It took the teacher a decade to get anyone from southern Alberta to come to take a look.
“At the time, sort of in the ’70s and ’80s, paleontology in northern Alberta was virtually unknown,” said Bamforth.
When paleontogists eventually got to the site, Bamforth said, they learned “it’s actually one of the densest dinosaur bonebeds in North America.”
“It contains about 100 to 300 bones per square metre,” she said.
Paleontologists have been at the site sporadically ever since, combing through bones belonging to turtles, dinosaurs and lizards. Sixteen years ago, they discovered a large skull of an approximately 30-year-old Pachyrhinosaurus, which is now at the museum.
About a year ago, they found the second adult: Big Sam.
Bamforth said both dinosaurs are believed to have been the elders in the herd.
“Their distinguishing feature is that, instead of having a horn on their nose like a triceratops, they had this big, bony bump called a boss. And they have big, bony bumps over their eyes as well,” she said.
“It makes them look a little strange. It’s the one dinosaur that if you find it, it’s the only possible thing it can be.”
The genders of the two adults are unknown.
Bamforth said the extraction was difficult because Big Sam was intertwined in a cluster of about 300 other bones.
The skull was found upside down, “as if the animal was lying on its back,” but was well preserved, she said.
She said the excavation process involved putting plaster on the skull and wooden planks around if for stability. From there, it was lifted out — very carefully — with a crane, and was to be shipped on a trolley to the museum for study.
“I have extracted skulls in the past. This is probably the biggest one I’ve ever done though,” said Bamforth.
“It’s pretty exciting.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2024.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
