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Gravitational Squash
10 March 2016

Gravitational Squash

Spending time in the low gravity atmosphere of space has a big impact on human health. Muscle atrophy, bone loss, cardiovascular and immune system problems all affect astronauts. Now scientists have developed a microscope to capture living cells experiencing gravity changes. Cells were put under the microscope on board the Zero-G aircraft, used to train astronauts, and on the TEXUS-52 rocket. In parabolic flight, gravity is zero or higher than normal for a few seconds. Here we see a human cancer cell with the cytoskeleton, a framework that allows cells to maintain their shape, in green. Increased gravity squashes the cytoskeleton (right) in comparison to normal gravity (left). The influence of gravity was seen on genes. After a number of exposures to low gravity, cells have increased activity in cytoskeleton-related genes. Studying cells in this way is the first step to understanding how gravity affects human health in space.

Written by Vicky Ware

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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