University of Wyoming researchers have gained further insight into how tardigrades survive extreme conditions and shown that proteins from the microscopic creatures expressed in human cells can slow down molecular processes.
Using MRI scans of 30 astronauts, the researchers built on those earlier studies to discover that the longer the spaceflight, the greater the increase in brain fluid volume.
Astronauts lose decades' worth of bone mass in space and many do not recover even after a year back on Earth after their missions on the International Space Spation, - a new study finds.
Overall, astronauts remain in excellent mental and physical health relative even after their return from long-term missions. And yet some develop cardiovascular deconditioning, vision problems and ovary problems (women).
Traveling in space, the data shows, can be a positive experience for participants, giving them a greater appreciation for people, nature and our tiny place in the universe.
The astronauts who will one day be the first to walk on Mars are likely middle school students today. A virtual reality tour of Mars is done on a retrofitted school bus outside the Denver Museum of Nature, USA
