Unlocking the Cosmos: Latest Insights from NASA’s Space Life Science Research – Astrobiology Highlights (Jan 31, 2025)

SPACELINE Current Awareness Lists are available on the NASA Task Book website at taskbook.nasaprs.com. For questions or to unsubscribe, contact Shawna Byrd, Senior Editor.

Attention Researchers: If you have a space life science article set to publish soon, please share it with us! Articles sent by Wednesday will be included in this week’s list; those sent after will appear the next week.

Recent Research Papers

1. Thoracolumbar Spine Muscle Size Changes during Space Missions

   Poveda et al. Life Sci Space Res. 2025 Feb; 44:1-8. Read here

   Funding: Supported by NASA (Grant No. NNX16AP89G).

2. Sleep Fragmentation Effects on Rats

   Chang et al. Radiat Res. 2024 Nov 22; 203(1):18-25. Read here

   Funding: Supported by NASA grants NNX14AE73G and NNX16AC40G.

3. Exercise’s Role in Reducing Oxidative Stress in Brain Cells

   Sigdel et al. Antioxidants (Basel). 2025 Jan 10; 14(1):77. Read here

4. MetaboLINK: New Algorithm for Studying Metabolic Pathways

   Lichtarge et al. Front Neurosci. 2025 Jan 12; 18:1520982. Read here

5. Statoliths in Plant Gravity Perception

   Kiss. Planta. 2025 Jan 27; 261(2):45. Read here

6. Developing Earth-Independent Medical Operations for Space Missions

   Anderson et al. Wilderness Environ Med. 2025 Jan 27. Read here

7. New Techniques for Protease Detection

   Habarakadage et al. Biosens Bioelectron. 2025 Apr; 273:117193. Read here

Additional Noteworthy Papers

1. Cognitive Assessments of Astronauts

   Basner et al. In: Handbook of Aviation Neuropsychology. 2025.

   Read here

2. Biological Impact of Shelters on Astronaut Health

   Vafapour et al. Radiat Environ Biophys. 2025 Jan 28. Read here

3. Space Radiation During Commercial Suborbital Missions

   Dachev et al. Life Sci Space Res (Amst). 2025 Feb; 44:126-33. Read here