Enjoying zero gravity and the wonderful views of Earth for a few months does not come free. astronauts suffer muscle atrophyproblems in the joints, bones and also in the immune system. For this reason, researchers from the University of Oxford have prepared an experiment to analyze the aging process in microgravity. The samples, which they call organoids, are miniaturized and simplified versions of organs produced in vitro, housed in a small laboratory in the shape of a cube of just a few centimeters. One of those cubes is located on the International Space Station and sends data in real time to the team in Oxford, from where the entire experiment is controlled. The goal they seek is to help both people down on Earth and those up in space, finding ways to prevent or reduce the effect of age-related diseases such as, for example, deterioration of the immune system or osteoporosis. So that age is not a limit in space exploration.
#grow #space #researchers #University #Oxford
