Scientists Sent Mighty Mice To Space To Improve Treatments Back On Earth (npr.org) 12
In December, scientists sent 40 very muscular mice to live temporarily at the International Space Station. The resulting research, they hope, could lead to new treatments for kids with muscular dystrophy, or cancer patients with muscle wasting. From a report: In early December at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, two anxious scientists were about to send 20 years of research into orbit. "I feel like our heart and soul is going up in that thing," Dr. Emily Germain-Lee told her husband, Dr. Se-Jin Lee, as they waited arm-in-arm for a SpaceX rocket to launch. A few seconds later the spacecraft took off, transporting some very unusual mice to the International Space Station, where they would spend more than a month in near zero gravity. Ordinarily, that would cause the animals' bones to weaken and their muscles to atrophy. But Lee and Germain-Lee, a power couple in the research world, were hoping that wouldn't happen with these mice.
"It was worth waiting 20 years for," Lee said as the Falcon 9 rocket headed toward space. "And someday it may really help people," Germain-Lee added. The couple hope that what they learn from these mice will lead to new treatments for millions of people with conditions that weaken muscles and bones. Among those who might eventually benefit: children with muscular dystrophy or brittle bone disease, cancer patients with muscle wasting, bedridden patients recovering from hip fractures, older people whose bones and muscles have become dangerously weak, and astronauts on long space voyages.
"It was worth waiting 20 years for," Lee said as the Falcon 9 rocket headed toward space. "And someday it may really help people," Germain-Lee added. The couple hope that what they learn from these mice will lead to new treatments for millions of people with conditions that weaken muscles and bones. Among those who might eventually benefit: children with muscular dystrophy or brittle bone disease, cancer patients with muscle wasting, bedridden patients recovering from hip fractures, older people whose bones and muscles have become dangerously weak, and astronauts on long space voyages.
Here is the bit that makes this a non-story. (Score:2)
"It will take months to know for sure whether any of the mice were able to defy the usual effects of weightlessness. Also scientists rarely discuss experiments before they're published.
But the couple says preliminary results look promising."
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
So the story is a story trailer? Engage movie trailer guys voice: "One epic day several months from now you just might find out... if there is anything to see here."
It would have been okay, if they hadn't made the story a long drawn out epic drama about the two researchers with the only content in the last two lines it also would have been fine and that content belongs in the TF summary. The summaries on Slashdot don't exist as teasers to the story, they sum up the content, hopefully avoiding the need to re
They need bikes for their next SpaceX flight (Score:2)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0... [imdb.com]
The mice named Hanz and Franz (Score:1)
twist the knife some more: (Score:2)
Elderly meme time! (Score:2)
I, for one, welcome our heavily muscled space mouse overlords.
Not much else to say until there's results in a couple of years.
Here they come (Score:2)
I have brittle bone disease (Score:2)
I have the least severe type of osteogenesis imperfacta; literally bones, genetic or creation of, imperfect.
OI messes with collagen creation and in turn the osteoblast (creation of bone) and osteoclast (resorption of bone) cycle causing low bone mass density, making me more prone to fractures. It also causes reduced muscle mass. The best treatment (besides Biphosphonates which inhibit osteoclast but can make poorer quality bone) is stressing bone through exercise creating micro cracks. The bone rebuilds wit
Flintstone engineering. (Score:2)
Bringing new meaning to the concept of "retro rocket", this is the start of Fred Flintstone spacecraft engineering. Put the Mighty Mice in a 3-axis hamster cage, and you have a bona fide reaction wheel system. Feed 'em space beans, and you've got the thrusters.
Just in case the other systems fail.
My first thought was... (Score:2)
Why are they sending apple mice to space? What would that prove?