Tag: Space Medicine

Body Sensors Printed Directly on Skin at Room Temperature

Biomedical sensors typically perform their best when they’re placed in close proximity to the body. While wearables, such as wrist-worn heart rate monitors, are common these days, they are very limited by where they can be placed on the body, have poor signal quality, and are often uncomfortable to wear for extended periods. Now, researchers (Read more...)

Synthetic Melanin Protects from Radiation Damage

Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a new biomaterial, selenomelanin, that can help protect people from radiation. The new substance, chemically synthesized and produced by bacteria, helps protect cells from radiation more effectively than other forms of melanin. One day, it may be used in sunscreens, medical treatments, or for lo (Read more...)

Printing Skin, Bones for Surgeries on Way to Mars

Traveling to Mars, our closest planet and which may one day serve as another base for humanity, is very far away. Any practical mission there and back will take years. The health of the astronauts undertaking such a journey will be paramount, so researchers are working on ways to be able to create customized tissues […]

Medtronic’s Micra Pacemaker Survives Flight to Space

This is an update to a recent story of ours on the first pacemaker in space. The Medtronic Micra is the smallest pacemaker currently available. It’s so small that it’s delivered via a catheter and attached to the endocardium of the heart, where its internal battery paces the heart for years. It’s certainly an incredible piece (Read more...)

NASA and HeroX Announce Winners of the Space Poop Challenge

A few months ago, we wrote about a NASA and HeroX design challenge that would address a dirty, overlooked, but absolutely necessary component of space travel: human waste collection. NASA’s Space Poop Challenge had over 5000 submissions from a community of over 19,000 registered competitors from all over the world. In the end, there were (Read more...)