Publications by authors named "J Bereiter-Hahn"
From the start of life on Earth, several immune defense mechanisms have evolved to guarantee cellular integrity, homeostasis, and host survival. All these sophisticated balances as shaped by and towards the environmental needs have occurred over hundreds of millions of years. Human spaceflight involves various health hazards, such as higher levels of radiation, altered gravity, isolation and confinement, living in tight quarters, and stress associated with being away from home.
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- The European Space Agency (ESA) regularly updates its science plans by talking to scientists about what they need to know.
- The SSCWP 9 document focuses on "Biology in Space" and discusses important questions that scientists want to answer about how living things adapt to space.
- One big question is how different organisms change at the molecular level when they are in microgravity, which could help both space missions and new technologies on Earth.
Progress in mechanobiology allowed us to better understand the important role of mechanical forces in the regulation of biological processes. Space research in the field of life sciences clearly showed that gravity plays a crucial role in biological processes. The space environment offers the unique opportunity to carry out experiments without gravity, helping us not only to understand the effects of gravitational alterations on biological systems but also the mechanisms underlying mechanoperception and cell/tissue response to mechanical and gravitational stresses.
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- The white paper discusses the need for research on how changes in gravity impact animal and human cellular and tissue systems, which is vital for understanding health in space.
- Current knowledge gaps hinder the development of accurate models to predict long-term health impacts for astronauts during extended missions beyond low Earth orbit.
- Researchers recommend a more integrated approach to connect biological and physiological effects to better address space adaptation challenges and promote astronaut health during deep space missions.
Hibernation enables many species of the mammalian kingdom to overcome periods of harsh environmental conditions. During this physically inactive state metabolic rate and body temperature are drastically downregulated, thereby reducing energy requirements (torpor) also over shorter time periods. Since blood cells reflect the organism´s current condition, it was suggested that transcriptomic alterations in blood cells mirror the torpor-associated physiological state.
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