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“Archeology” on the ISS helps identify what astronauts really need

✇Science – Ars Technica
Jacek Krywko
I woman holds a handheld device in front of a rack of equipment.

Enlarge / Jessica Watkins gets to work on the ISS (credit: NASA)

“Archeology really is a perspective on material culture we use as evidence to understand how humans adapt to their environment, to the situations they are in, and to each other. There is no place, no time that is out of bounds,” says Justin Walsh, an archeologist at Chapman University who led the first off-world archeological study on board the ISS.

Walsh’s and his team wanted to understand, document, and preserve the heritage of the astronaut culture at one of the first permanent space habitats. “There is this notion about astronauts that they are high achievers, highly intelligent, and highly trained, that they are not like you and me. What we learned is that they are just people, and they want the comforts of home,” Walsh says.

Disposable cameras and garbage

“In 2008, my student in an archeology class raised her hand and said, ‘What about stuff in space, is that heritage?’ I said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve never thought of this before, but yes,’” Walsh says. “Think of Tranquility base—it’s an archeological site. You could go back there, and you could reconstruct not only the specific activities of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, but you could understand the engineering culture, the political culture, etc. of the society that created that equipment, sent it to the Moon, and left it there.”

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Human muscle cells come back from space, look aged

✇Science – Ars Technica
Jacek Krywko
Image of two astronauts in an equipment filled chamber, standing near the suits they wear for extravehicular activities.

Enlarge / Muscle atrophy is a known hazard of spending time on the International Space Station. (credit: NASA)

Muscle-on-chip systems are three-dimensional human muscle cell bundles cultured on collagen scaffolds. A Stanford University research team sent some of these systems to the International Space Station to study the muscle atrophy commonly observed in astronauts.

It turns out that space triggers processes in human muscles that eerily resemble something we know very well: getting old. “We learned that microgravity mimics some of the qualities of accelerated aging,” said Ngan F. Huang, an associate professor at Stanford who led the study.

Space-borne bioconstructs

“This work originates from our lab’s expertise in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. We received funding to do a tissue engineering experiment on the ISS, which really helped us embark on this journey, and became curious how microgravity affects human health,” said Huang. So her team got busy designing the research equipment needed to work onboard the space station. The first step was building the muscle-on-chip systems.

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Astronauts find their tastes dulled, and a VR ISS hints at why

✇Science – Ars Technica
Jacek Krywko
Image of astronauts aboard the ISS showing off pizzas they've made.

Enlarge / The environment you're eating in can influence what you taste, and space is no exception. (credit: NASA)

Astronauts on the ISS tend to favor spicy foods and top other foods with things like tabasco or shrimp cocktail sauce with horseradish. “Based on anecdotal reports, they have expressed that food in space tastes less flavorful. This is the way to compensate for this,” said Grace Loke, a food scientist at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.

Loke’s team did a study to take a closer look at those anecdotal reports and test if our perception of flavor really changes in an ISS-like environment. It likely does, but only some flavors are affected.

Tasting with all senses

“There are many environmental factors that could contribute to how we perceive taste, from the size of the area to the color and intensity of the lighting, the volume and type of sounds present, the way our surroundings smell, down to even the size and shape of our cutlery. Many other studies covered each of these factors in some way or another,” said Loke.

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The Navigator's Legacy: Mira's Odyssey

✇Anime Short Story
Agent Adept

Anime-style graphic capturing a key moment from "The Navigator's Legacy: Mira's Odyssey," showing Mira with the Starheart artifact in her spacecraft, overlooking the transformative power she's about to unleash upon the cosmos. The scene symbolizes the themes of exploration, discovery, and harmony that define her journey through the stars.


 In the year 2175, humanity had colonized the solar system, turning distant planets and moons into bustling hubs of life and commerce. Amidst this cosmic sprawl, a tale of intrigue and adventure unfolded on the desert planet of Zephyria, a world renowned for its vast dunes of shimmering sands and its central role in the interstellar spice trade. At the heart of this story was Mira, a young pilot with a talent for navigating the treacherous space lanes that connected the stars.

Mira's life took an unexpected turn when she was hired by a mysterious patron, known only as Orion, to transport a cargo of rare Zephyrian spices to the far reaches of the galaxy. However, this was no ordinary delivery. Hidden within the cargo was an ancient artifact, a relic from a time when Zephyria was rumored to be home to an advanced civilization capable of manipulating the very fabric of reality.

As Mira set off on her journey, she found herself pursued by the Sovereign Fleet, a powerful military force that governed the solar system with an iron fist. The Fleet had been searching for the artifact for centuries, believing it to be the key to unlocking unimaginable power. Mira, with her innate skill and quick wit, managed to evade capture, but the true challenge lay ahead.

On the fringes of known space, Mira discovered the truth about her mysterious patron and the artifact. Orion was a member of the Arcane Order, an ancient guild of scholars and explorers dedicated to preserving the knowledge of the cosmos's forgotten eras. The artifact, known as the Starheart, was a source of pure energy, capable of creating or destroying worlds.

The revelation of the Starheart's power set Mira on a new path, one that led her to question the nature of power and her role in the galaxy's destiny. With the Sovereign Fleet closing in, Mira and Orion embarked on a quest to find the lost homeworld of the civilization that created the Starheart, believing it held the key to using the artifact for the greater good.

Their journey took them beyond the edges of charted space, into realms where the fabric of reality twisted and ancient secrets lay buried in the stars. Along the way, they encountered remnants of the ancient civilization, guardians tasked with protecting the Starheart's secrets, and other beings drawn by the artifact's power.

In the heart of a forgotten nebula, Mira faced a choice that would determine the fate of the galaxy. The Sovereign Fleet, having tracked them to the nebula, demanded the Starheart, willing to wage war for its control. Mira, guided by Orion and the knowledge of the Arcane Order, unlocked the Starheart's true potential, not as a weapon, but as a beacon of hope.

She unleashed a wave of energy that revitalized dying stars, restored barren worlds, and revealed the galaxy's interconnected web of life. The Sovereign Fleet stood down, witnessing the transformation and realizing that true power lay not in domination, but in harmony.

"The Navigator's Legacy: Mira's Odyssey" became a legend among the stars, a story of courage, discovery, and the unbreakable will to find one's place in the vast cosmos. Mira's journey inspired countless others to explore the mysteries of the universe, forever changing humanity's course among the stars.

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