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In the first paper, researchers wondered if life could begin in space: simulated microgravity revealed species-specific effects on sperm navigation, fertilization, and early embryo development, highlighting compensatory mechanisms and chemical cues critical for reproduction in future #spacemissions
In the second, genome-wide ribosome profiling showed that #Arabidopsis plants had a responsive translational mechanism that interacted with transcription in a coordinated manner in a simulated microgravity environment 🌱 doi.org/10.1038/s420...
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Next up, researchers used rs-fMRI to investigate human #brainconnectivity changes induced by prolonged microgravity in #cosmonauts before and after #spaceflight, with both persistent and reversible location-specific changes in connectivity observed 🧠🧑🚀 doi.org/10.1038/s420...
#Spaceflight is associated with persistent #MHC class I suppression in astronauts, a mechanism linked to immune evasion in cancer and viral infection. In this Perspective, the authors discuss the risks of astronaut MHC-I suppression, future research directions and potential therapeutic approaches.
Last, but certainly not least, a Review by Coleine et al. highlights how #extremophile microbiomes and synthetic biology approaches could support Martian terraforming by driving biogeochemical cycles, regolith transformation, and future life-support ecosystems 🦠 doi.org/10.1038/s420...