King N’jadaka

Two are Better Than One: The NASA Twins Study

What exactly happens to the human body during spaceflight? The Twins Study,  a 340-day investigation conducted by NASA’s Human Research Program , sought to find answers. Scientists had an opportunity to see how conditions on the International Space Station translated to changes in gene expression by comparing identical twin astronauts: Scott Kelly who spent close to a year in space and Mark Kelly who remained on Earth.

The Process

From high above the skies, for almost a year, astronaut Scott Kelly periodically collected his own blood specimens for researchers on the ground during his One-Year Mission aboard the Space Station. These biological specimens made their way down to Earth onboard two separate SpaceX Dragon vehicles. A little bit of Scott returned to Earth each time and was studied by scientists across the United States.

Totaling 183 samples from Scott and his brother, Mark, these vials helped scientists understand the changes Scott’s body underwent while spending a prolonged stay in low Earth orbit.  

The Twins

Because identical twins share the same genetic makeup, they are very similar on a molecular level. Twin studies provide a way for scientists to explore how our health is impacted by the environment around us.

What We Learned: Gene Expression

A significant finding is the variability in gene expression, which reflects how a body reacts to its environment and will help inform how gene expression is related to health risks associated with spaceflight. While in space, researchers observed changes in the expression of Scott’s genes, with the majority returning to normal after six months on Earth. However, a small percentage of genes related to the immune system and DNA repair did not return to baseline after his return to Earth. Further, the results identified key genes to target for use in monitoring the health of future astronauts and potentially developing personalized countermeasures.

What We Learned: Immunome

Another key finding is that Scott’s immune system responded appropriately in space. For example, the flu vaccine administered in space worked exactly as it does on Earth. A fully functioning immune system during long-duration space missions is critical to protecting astronaut health from opportunistic microbes in the spacecraft environment.

What We Learned: Proteomics

Studying protein pathways in Scott enabled researchers to look at fluid regulation and fluid shifts within his body. Shifts in fluid may contribute to vision problems in astronauts. Scientists found a specific protein associated with fluid regulation was elevated in Scott, compared with his brother Mark on Earth.

What We Learned: Telomeres

The telomeres in Scott’s white blood cells, which are biomarkers of aging at the end of chromosomes, were unexpectedly longer in space then shorter after his return to Earth with average telomere length returning to normal six months later. In contrast, his brother’s telomeres remained stable throughout the entire period. Because telomeres are important for cellular genomic stability, additional studies on telomere dynamics are planned for future one-year missions to see whether results are repeatable for long-duration missions.

What We Learned: Cognition

Scott Kelly participated in a series of cognitive performance evaluations (such as mental alertness, spatial orientation, and recognition of emotions) administered through a battery of tests and surveys. Researchers found that during spaceflight, Scott’s cognitive function remained normal for the first half of his stay onboard the space station compared to the second half of his spaceflight and to his brother, Mark, on the ground. However, upon landing, Scott’s speed and accuracy decreased. Re-exposure to Earth’s gravity and the dynamic experience of landing may have affected the results.  

What We Learned: Biochemical

In studying various measurements on Scott, researchers found that his body mass decreased during flight, likely due to controlled nutrition and extensive exercise. While on his mission, Scott consumed about 30% less calories than researchers anticipated. An increase in his folate serum (vitamin B-9), likely due to an increase of the vitamin in his pre-packaged meals, was also noted by researchers. This is bolstered by the telomeres study, which suggests that proper nutrition and exercise help astronauts maintain health while in space.

What We Learned: Metabolomics

Within five months of being aboard the space station, researchers found an increase in the thickness of Scott’s arterial wall, which may have been caused by inflammation and oxidative stress during spaceflight. Whether this change is reversible is yet to be determined. They hope these results will help them understand the stresses that the human cardiovascular system undergoes during spaceflight. 

In addition, the results from the Microbiome, Epigenomics, and Integrative Omics studies suggest a human body is capable of adapting to and recovering from the spaceflight environment on a molecular level.

Why Does This Matter?

The data from the Twins Study Investigation will be explored for years to come as researchers report some interesting, surprising, and assuring data on how the human body is able to adapt to the extreme environment of spaceflight. This study gave us the first integrated molecular view into genetic changes, and demonstrated the plasticity and robustness of a human body!

We will use the valuable data to ensure the safety and health of the men and women who go on to missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

Learn more with this video about these fascinating discoveries!  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

HE JUST WANTED A CLOSED DOOR!

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“I’m Only Gonna Say This Once…” ~Kastle!~

I think I want to try to draw at least one thing for all my ships. That would be great. And challenging. But anyway, here is one of my favorite ships from Netflix!Marvel… Karen Page and Frank Castle! Can’t wait for Punisher Season 2 and also to see my babe Karen Page in DareDevil Season 3! 

Black and White alt version with the white roses Punisher symbol below the cut:

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WHILE WE ALL HATE GAME OF THRONES

I’mma just remind everyone that the fantasy series you have been dreaming of, the one with a diverse as hell cast (I’m talking 50/50 gender split, 80% LGBT, 70% POC), with battles for Power ultimately being proven pointless in the face of the battle for Existence, with characters who are damaged and morally grey as hell but always still likeable and still understandable, with meaningful relationships of all kinds between said characters: THAT SERIES EXISTS. 

Everyone go read A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall. (Then A Blade of Black Steel, then A War in Crimson Embers)

It’s finished. The endgame is perfect. You can thank me later, and then hate me for having hoarded all the canon urls already. 

Jarvis: I’m sorry sir, for being late

Tony: Hehe….House Party….Protocol…?

Jarvis: Yes sir

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Ahhhhhhhhhh! I’m sending Jarvis to save him!!!!

Tony and his bots!!! But the oil in smoothie thing sparked an idea for me. Tony bring practically impervious to pranks by the team bc of his bots. Clint can't just drop hot sauce in Tony's coffee bc not only do the boys do that so often that he just fuckkn drinks it but he's gotten worse from them as well. 1/2

2/2 Nat has to put some more effort into just jumping tony to scare him bc he’s always dodging swinging arms and fire extinguishers. Loud noises and tripping him don’t work easy bc of the state of his workshop. I do stand by the fact that Jarvis can make a fool out of him with anything tho

I LOVE THIS IDEA!!!!

The point is JARVIS doesn’t want to. Especially not in the beginning, where the Avengers are still strangers, still can’t be trusted with Sir’s well-being. He doesn’t give anyone ammunition lightly, and after Stane and Fury have both managed to disable him, well. JARVIS may not remember those incidents but it’s not like he forgets they happened.

So fairly soon the Avengers are convinced Tony is immune to pranks. It’s almost terrifying how easily he avoids them. Especially when you consider that word class spies and enhanced humans are at work here and Stark never even got any formal training.

(They don’t realise that JARVIS considers their pranks a threat to Tony and either disables them or informs Sir until Tony specifically tells him it’s fine. Even then potential triggers and threats to Sir’s health are still blacklisted by JARVIS. The AI takes his creator’s safety very serious. One of them has to after all)

And even after JARVIS eventually eases up on his safety protocols, it’s still no fun to prank Tony (as Clint will whine constantly. For, well, who am I kidding, the rest of their lives. Or however long it takes for Natasha to snap and kill him.) The worst part isn’t that Tony doesn’t fall victim to the occasional trap, it’s that he doesn’t even notice he’s being pranked.

Thanks to his bots’ antics, he’s used to weird tasting food and drinks (JARVIS will warn him if it’s poisonous), stumbling over odd things in his way, being drenched in questionable liquids, and so on.

Long story short, Tony doesn’t understand why but for some reason Barton holds a very strong grudge against his bots?

(DUM-E and BUTTERFINGERS eventually launch a prank war against Clint. U seeks cover in the workshop. The rest of the tower lies in figurative ashes after three days. There are many causalities, up and including Natasha’s favourite pair of shoes (they’ve got blades hidden inside the heels), Steve’s least hated suit, Bruce’s entire lab (that was an accident), the Hulk’s favourite blanket (that one wasn’t an accident but is greatly regretted by everyone) and Thor’s entire wardrobe (the clothes he was wearing at the time very much included). Oh, and Clint.

Tony doesn’t even notice.

(Except that one time Steve had bright blue hair for a week, but that gave him an idea for a new camouflage suit and well, nobody has seen the genius in question since.)

JARVIS takes up the job of scolding DUM-E and BUTTERFINGERS for starting the war. He then promptly launches a counter-attack on their behalf.)

делюсь с вами новогодним настроением ~ 

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