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        <title>Gravitational and Space Research Feed</title>
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        <copyright>All rights reserved 2026, American Society for Gravitational and Space Research</copyright>
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            <title><![CDATA[The application of a HACCP-informed risk assessment to mizuna and tomato crops grown on ISS in Veggie to develop a baseline food safety plan within the constraints of space mission food production]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0013</link>
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            <pubDate>Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The prevention of human and plant diseases is critical for a robust space crop production system. We have applied a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) framework to the cultivation of crops on the International Space Station (ISS) in the Veggie hardware to develop a baseline food safety plan that can help inform standards for crops grown within the limitations of spaceflight. This plan was applied to the VEG-04 and VEG-05 experiments in which mizuna and tomato were grown under different lighting and harvest regimes. Experiments were carried out in two Veggie facilities, one with a red-rich light recipe and one with blue-rich lighting, with corresponding ground control experiments conducted at Kennedy Space Center in ISS environmental simulators. Potential human pathogens were not detected on plants grown in the VEG-04 and 05 experiments with the exception of S. aureus on one mizuna plant in VEG-04B. Pre-flight procedures for hardware and seed sanitization were identified as control points. While the HACCP approach is applied here to VEG-04 and 05 crops, space crop production presents unique challenges in monitoring and control that will require the development of new technologies or methods to validate the safety of foods grown in spaceflight.]]></description>
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        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Microbial pre-conditioning of perchlorate-bearing Martian regolith simulant: Geochemical evolution toward a plant-compatible substrate]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0012</link>
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            <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Sustained human presence on Mars depends on reliable in situ food production. However, Martian regolith contains perchlorate (ClO4−) salts that inhibit plant and microbial growth. The Plant Trek project tests whether perchlorate-reducing microbial consortia can pre-condition perchlorate-bearing regolith, initiate early soil-forming processes, and improve substrate suitability. A perchlorate-reducing microbial community sourced from hypersaline sediments in Utah was introduced into the Plant Trek Mars Mix (PTMM). PTMM is a basaltic, phyllosilicate- and sulfate-bearing regolith simulant amended to ~2.25 wt.% Ca- and Mg-perchlorate. The material was incubated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, reducing water-extractable perchlorate to approximately 7–9% of the initial amended Day 0 proxy. This paper emphasizes Stage I geochemical outcomes, with Stage II included only for substrate-development indicators such as pH and organic matter. Plant-available major cations (Ca, Mg, K) remained high, and toxic metals were largely absent from the exchangeable fraction. Aerobic conditioning produced a pronounced increase in plant-available phosphorus (222.2 ± 24.16 mg kg−1). In contrast, anaerobic samples remained near zero, indicating that oxygen-dependent microbial processes strongly enhanced P availability in PTMM. Measurable total carbon and nitrogen were already established after Stage I, averaging ~0.557 wt.% C and ~0.00770 wt.% N across aerobic and anaerobic treatments. The pH declined modestly (~0.2–0.4 units) after 45 days of plant growth in Stage II. Together, these observations indicate the persistence of an early substrate-forming reservoir within an initially organic-free mineral matrix. Collectively, these results show that microbial pre-conditioning can couple perchlorate remediation with nutrient mobilization and early chemical and biological substrate development.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Multidomain biofilm control in a novel simulated microgravity reactor]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0011</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Issues caused by unwanted microbial accumulation in spacecraft water systems must be addressed for successful spaceflight missions traveling much farther from Earth than the International Space Station (ISS). Biofilms have previously caused clogs in the ISS water recovery system, which required part replacement. The study presented here builds on previous research (Mettler and Peyton, 2025) to control biofilms in the ISS water system by evaluating three methods of biofilm control for their efficacy in a simulated microgravity biofilm reactor. This research aimed to model the ISS by using four direct isolates from the water recovery system, a medium designed to mimic the chemical composition of ISS wastewater, and simulated microgravity. Surface-associated biofilm formation and microbial aggregates in the bulk fluid were evaluated as they both pose concerns for clogging in spacecraft water systems. By the end of the 7-day experiment, no viable biofilm was detected on the surfaces in the reactor with an antifouling coating, no-phosphorus medium, and daily silver fluoride biocide dosing. This research marks a large step in accurately modeling the ISS water recovery system and exploring options for biofilm control in future spacecraft water systems.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Enhancing Spaceflight Imaging Data Using Simple Online Automated Plant Phenomics (SOAPP)]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0008</link>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Plant phenomics is an emerging discipline that uses image analysis to extract quantitative phenotypic data to understand plant growth and development. However, phenomics tools often require a precise format of image acquisition that is set during software development or that is part of a proprietary software environment. To remove these barriers and align with NASA's Transform to Open Science initiative, we have created a web-based application to measure plant aerial phenotypes called Simple Online Automated Plant Phenomics (SOAPP). SOAPP uses two open-source Python packages, PlantCV and OpenCV, and is available either online as a web application or can be run locally from a Docker image. Users simply upload their images, select sample-specific color spaces, and specify regions of interest. Foliage size, shape characteristics, and color values are then automatically extracted. SOAPP has been successfully used to characterize plant growth in hydroponic systems, pots, and Petri plates. ArUco machine-recognizable tags further allow automated scale-finding, image plane correction, and color standardization and correction. These adjustments for variations in the distance and axis at which the images were taken greatly enhance the quantitative accuracy of data extracted from hand-held crew photography, enhancing science return from both current and future spaceflight settings.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Validation of a fluorescence-based method for the quantitative detection of specific nucleic acids aboard the ISS]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0006</link>
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            <pubDate>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The ability to detect and quantify specific nucleic acids is crucial for applications such as genetic research and real-time diagnostics. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) are commonly used to detect DNA. However, these techniques are limited on-orbit due to the size and complexity of the equipment. To address these challenges, we have developed and characterized an alternative to qPCR, called fluoPCR, for use in spaceflight. The fluoPCR workflow consists of 1) a miniaturized thermal cycler to amplify target DNA sequences, 2) a handheld fluorescence viewer for optical detection of amplicons, and 3) data analysis to quantify fluorescence intensity. We tested the fluoPCR assay on the ISS across a range of target DNA sequence sizes and amounts. We found that targeted 100- and 400-base-pair (bp) sequences could be detected with high specificity and with quantifiable data patterns consistent with those obtained from ground qPCR assays. This investigation validates fluoPCR as a versatile alternative to qPCR for detecting and quantifying specific DNA sequences. It can be performed entirely aboard the ISS and similar space habitats and may enable quantitative nucleic acid detection for applications, from genetic research to molecular diagnostics, both in space and in resource-limited settings on Earth.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[The Conidia Application Device: Inoculation hardware to conduct plant pathology research in microgravity]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0010</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Space-based plant pathology research must become common to support extraterrestrial crop production. Microbes, including phytopathogens, are inevitable in space-based bioregenerative life support systems. To support future space plant pathology research, we developed an inoculation system to apply fungal conidia (spores) of the powdery mildew phytopathogen, Golovinomyces cichoracearum (Gc) on to leaves of the host, Arabidopsis thaliana (At). Traditional ground-based inoculation protocols are not feasible in microgravity. Thus, the Conidia Application Device (CAD) was developed to aseptically transfer Gc conidia from a source container to plant canopies in custom-built petri dishes. The CAD system included a 3D-printed, cyclonic insert that interfaced with a vial of conidia and sealed completely within a 50-cc syringe. The syringe contained sterile air, which passed through the 3D-printed insert, aerosolized Gc conidia, and entered the dish through needleless Luer-lock connections. A secondary port on the Petri dish attached to a reservoir air bag to accommodate any excess volume of air injected into the dish. The ports on the Petri dishes were positioned to encourage airflow across the upper surfaces of plant canopies and promote inoculation. The CAD system was used to inoculate At canopies during ground-based pre-flight tests, resulting in successful Gc disease development.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Validation of Gentamicin and Streptomycin Stability for On-Orbit Microbial Monitoring]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0003</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS) flight project seeks to characterize the frequency and genomic identity of antibiotic-resistant organisms on the ISS and expand in-space sequencing-based diagnostic capabilities. This project selects for antibiotic-resistant microbes on space station surfaces using agar plates containing antibiotics, which may require storing the plates for several months. However, little published data is available on the longevity of antibiotics in agar plates. Here, we describe the process for selecting and validating antibiotic stability for GEARS. A literature review was conducted on several antibiotics for their intrinsic and acquired resistance in Enterococcus and Staphylococcus and stability in solution and in agar. Gentamicin and streptomycin were selected for a long-term study tracking changes in the bactericidal ability of the antibiotics in agar plates. After 6.5 months of storage at 4 °C, we found that both antibiotic types remained stable throughout the test period, although they both exhibited evidence of slight degradation. These findings indicated that either antibiotic would be sufficient for the GEARS study based on stability under cold stowage conditions. Furthermore, this study generated a methodology for the study of and information on the long-term stability of antibiotics in agar, which can be useful for microbiology applications beyond spaceflight studies.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[A systematic review and meta-analysis of pulmonary function in microgravity]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0009</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Technological advancements have increased the number of human spaceflights, including the advent of space tourism and deep space travel. The structure and function of the pulmonary system are gravitationally dependent, highlighting the importance of understanding functional changes within the pulmonary system during transient and sustained microgravity exposure. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide an overview of effects of microgravity (0G) on various functional outcome measures of the human lungs relative to Earth gravity (1G). Twenty-eight studies comprising parabolic flights (~20 seconds), short- (≤30 days) and long-duration spaceflight (&gt;30 days) were assessed. Outcome measures reported in 1G (before flight) and 0G (in-flight) were extracted. Fixed effects models showed microgravity caused a reduction in elastic work and carbon dioxide production, and increases in pulmonary diffusion capacity, compliance, and pulmonary capillary blood volume. Despite this, the effect sizes were small and likely have little clinical significance in healthy individuals. However, they could impact space tourists who have lower health requirements for space travel, and those with underlying obstructive respiratory disorders. The results demonstrate how traditional functional pulmonary testing provides essential physiological benchmarks that complement high-throughput data collection methods, enabling an integrated understanding of how molecular changes translate into functional respiratory outcomes in microgravity.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Popcorn from Suborbital Spaceflight]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0005</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0005</guid>
            <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[A successful popcorn experiment from a K-12 STEM engagement was flown to sub-orbital space and is described. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first popcorn popped in spaceflight. The experiment topic provides numerous K-12 lessons in electrical and thermal energy and power, energy in compressed steam, the bursting of a pressure vessel, microprocessor control of hardware, and similar. Engineering challenges imposed by limited mass and power available to the K-12 payload are discussed, and the successful solution to the power limit problem is described. The experiment is the latest to fly in the Purdue School Launchbox on Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle. This experiment flew on Blue Origin’s NS-29 mission, which spun the Crew Capsule to create acceleration equal to lunar surface gravity, and so the popcorn kernel popped in space while subjected to lunar surface gravity.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Simulated Microgravity Reduces Growth but Preserves Bone-Relevant Bioactivity of Medicago truncatula]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0007</link>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Microgravity exposure during spaceflight leads to profound physiological adaptations, including accelerated skeletal loss driven by imbalances in bone remodeling. Plants grown in altered gravity environments exhibit changes in growth, development, and secondary metabolism that may influence their potential as nutritional or biological countermeasures. In this study, Medicago truncatula seedlings were grown for 14 days under stationary 1g or simulated microgravity using a clinostat. Plant growth parameters were quantified, total flavonoid and isoflavonoid concentrations determined, and ethanolic extracts evaluated for bioactivity using murine osteoclast precursor (RAW264.7) and osteoblast-like (MC3T3-E1) cell models. Simulated microgravity significantly reduced root length, shoot length, lateral root number, and fresh mass relative to 1g controls while increasing total flavonoid and isoflavonoid concentrations by 45% and 64%, respectively. Extracts from both gravity conditions significantly inhibited RAW264.7 cell proliferation with no statistically significant differences between microgravity and 1g-derived extracts. MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation was not affected by extract exposure, while alkaline phosphatase activity showed modest induction relative to solvent controls without a consistent dose-dependent or gravity-specific trend. These findings demonstrate that simulated microgravity alters plant growth but does not confer gravity-specific differences in extract bioactivity on bone cell models, supporting selective effects on osteoclast-related pathways.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[RNA-seq Analysis of Spaceflown Mouse Lungs Reveals Changes in Circadian Gene Expression]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0004</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0004</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Despite the decades that have passed since the last lunar landing, the elevated risk of developing cancer post-flight persists as a threat to astronaut health. High doses of ionizing radiation experienced during spaceflight exposure beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) are a large contributing factor to cancer risk due to radiation-induced DNA damage. However, circadian rhythm disruption resulting from spaceflight-induced stress may serve to augment such radiation-induced harm. Upon re-analysis of “GLDS-248: The Transcriptional Analysis of Lung From Mice Flown on the RR-6 Mission” from the NASA GeneLab data repository, six circadian genes were differentially expressed as a result of spaceflight conditions. One such gene found to be up-regulated in relation to ground control was Arntl, which plays a crucial role in regulating cell cycle progression as a core clock gene. Others included Npas2 (up-regulated), which functions similarly to Arntl, and Per3 (down-regulated), which regulates Arntl activity. Due to these results, we hypothesize that circadian rhythm disruption during spaceflight heightens radiation-induced DNA damage due to impaired DNA repair pathways, thus inducing tumorigenesis. This paper seeks to elucidate how transcriptional regulation of the circadian clock influences cancer prognosis during spaceflight exposure, an increasingly relevant research area as NASA focuses beyond the LEO and exposure to galactic cosmic radiation becomes an increasingly significant concern to astronaut health.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Piriformospora indica and Arabidopsis thaliana Mutualism in Modeled Microgravity Conditions: A Model for Plant-Fungal Interactions in Spaceflight]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0001</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0001</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Understanding how plant–microbe interactions function in spaceflight is critical for developing sustainable bioregenerative life support systems. As a model system, investigating plant-microbe interactions in microgravity also provides insight into human-microbiome interactions and infectious disease by exploring the ecological balance between mutualism, commensalism, parasitism, and competition in stressful environments. We investigated the mutualism between Piriformospora indica and Arabidopsis thaliana in modeled microgravity using ground-based analogs. P. indica enhances A. thaliana root branching, biomass accumulation, and leaf pigmentation. The fungus was cultured axenically, sporulated without a plant host, and retained infectivity in clinostat conditions. These findings establish the feasibility of this model system for spaceflight and provide a foundation for assessing plant-fungal symbioses in altered gravity environments.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[An Optimization to Increase Bacterial DNA Yield in a Lunar Regolith Simulant]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0002</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2026-0002</guid>
            <pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Microbiological methods to transform lunar regolith into a substrate for plant cultivation are important for a biological regenerative life support system (BLSS). This study presents a rapid, effective method for optimizing the isolation of bacterial DNA from a consortium inoculated into the lunar regolith simulant LHS-1. The protocol yielded up to 717 ± 221 ng of high-quality DNA, sufficient for 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The approach, based on bacterial suspension and extraction using PrepMan™ Ultra reagent followed by Zymo® purification, overcomes low-yield issues typical in regolith-based samples. This method enables reliable taxonomic analysis, contributing to understanding microbial interactions in regolith environments relevant to space agriculture.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Assessing the effect of spaceflight stress on DNA sequence mutation using RNA-sequencing data]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0009</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0009</guid>
            <pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Understanding the effects of space radiation and microgravity on DNA is critical to assessing the impact of long-term spaceflight. While experiments performed in space constitute the most effective means of examining these effects, opportunities are limited and costly. As this bottleneck will likely continue for the foreseeable future, data from past experiments represent a particularly valuable source of information for continuing studies. To this end, NASA created GeneLab, a public Omics database for spaceflight-related data. We used data from GeneLab to examine the effect of spaceflight on DNA mutation rates. Optimally, mutation rates are estimated using DNA sequence data directly. Unfortunately, to date, few DNA-based datasets appear in GeneLab. Transcript data, however, is abundant. Here we used RNA-Seq data to examine DNA sequence variation in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown aboard the International Space Station (ISS) vs. on the ground. ISS-based samples were grown under two conditions: spaceflight under microgravity, and, by using a specialized onboard centrifuge under induced gravity. This powerful experimental design allowed us to separate the effects of microgravity from non-microgravity spaceflight stress, such as space radiation. More mutations were observed in spaceflight samples than in ground control samples, with transversion mutations being overly represented. Mutation rates identified in samples grown under artificial gravity in space were similar to that of microgravity spaceflight samples, indicating that microgravity exposure played a limited role. This work demonstrates that RNA-Seq data is useful for evaluating DNA damage from spaceflight and provides insight into the types of mutations that occur.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Balancing Nutrient Content and Nitrate Levels in Space Agriculture: Investigating LED Light and CO2 Effects on Space-Grown Leafy Green Vegetables]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0008</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 18 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Sustainable cultivation of nutrient-rich vegetables is crucial for long-term space missions. Leafy greens such as red romaine lettuce and hybrid leafy Asian green are promising candidates due to their compact growth and high nutritional value. However, these crops can accumulate excessive nitrate and iron (Fe), potentially posing health risks in space. Nitrate (NO3−) may convert to carcinogenic nitrosamines when consumed with processed foods under acidic gastric conditions, while excess Fe contributes to oxidative stress and bone loss. Ideal crop characteristics prioritize high potassium, magnesium, and calcium (Ca) concentrations while minimizing Fe accumulation to support astronaut cardiovascular and skeletal health.This study hypothesizes that elevated light intensity and CO2 enrichment could reduce NO3− accumulation while preserving favorable nutrient profiles. Using NASA's Growing Beyond Earth (GBE) 2023 research protocol, seeds were first exposed to neutron radiation via Californium-252 and then cultivated under controlled LED lighting and elevated CO2 conditions to simulate spaceflight growing environments. Neutron radiation had no statistically significant effect on edible biomass or morphology (p &gt; 0.05). CO2 enrichment significantly reduced NO3− content, partially supporting the hypothesis, but led to nutrient trade-offs, including increased Fe levels and reduced magnesium and Ca. Contrary to expectations, higher light intensity increased nitrate accumulation. A NASA-aligned crop suitability ranking identified low light intensity (230 μmol·m−2·s−1 PPFD) and CO2 enrichment (~1000 ppm) as the optimal conditions for enhancing space crop quality while mitigating dietary risks. These findings may inform NASA's space agriculture strategies for sustainable food production on long-duration missions and offer insights for controlled environment agriculture in resource-limited settings on Earth.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Optimizing an On-Demand Passive Fertigation System for Microgravity]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0006</link>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Plant production in microgravity is essential for sustaining astronauts long-term space missions. However, previous containerized plant cultivations in space has yielded inconsistent results, largely due to challenges in understanding the hydraulic properties of porous media, particularly water retention characteristics (WRCs) and hydraulic potential (H) under microgravity. This study addresses the issue of over-fertigation in the root zone, a persistent challenge in past space-based systems. We propose an on-demand passive fertigation system, regulated by a check valve-controlled H and tailored to the WRCs of the porous medium. Our system consists of 1) H regulation via a coupled check valve and porous membrane, 2) a water reservoir (collapsible for μg) and 3) containerized porous media. We determined target matric potential values for three particle size ranges of aggregated calcined clay to maintain adequate volumetric water content during 60 days of continuous romaine lettuce cultivation. This system supplies water only within a range of H, associated with the opening and closing of the check valve, requiring no automation or power. The findings could be adapted to reduced gravity (lunar or Martian) conditions. While this study establishes a foundation for on-demand fertigation, further research is needed to refine check valve characteristics for long-term cultivation.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Multimodal biofilm control strategies for spacecraft water systems: Evaluating coatings, nutrient removal, and biocides for improved sustainability]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0005</link>
            <guid isPermaLink="false">/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0005</guid>
            <pubDate>Sun, 14 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Functional water recovery systems will be a limiting factor for future spaceflight missions traveling beyond low Earth orbit. Previously, microbial communities known as biofilms have clogged valves in the International Space Station (ISS) water recovery system. To prevent part replacement, ensure safe water for astronauts, and enhance sustainability of long-term spaceflight, improved methods of biofilm control are needed. In this study, three approaches were evaluated for their ability to control biofilm alone and in combination. The methods include the use of Sher-Loxane® 800, a commercially available coating, exclusion of phosphorus from the growth medium, and regular dosing with a silver fluoride biocide. These strategies have all been proposed for biofilm control in spacecraft but have not been evaluated together. Further, this research uniquely features a defined multidomain consortium of organisms (a fungus and three bacteria) frequently isolated from the ISS water system. Results indicate that the presence of the coating is a key factor in reducing biofilm accumulation, and that combining all three biofilm control methods reduces accumulation of viable biofilm to just above the limit of detection after seven days of growth. This study presents the potential for controlling biofilm with multiple methods for spacecraft and Earth-based water systems.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Impact of Simulated Microgravity Environment on Bioprinted Tissue Constructs]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0007</link>
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            <pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Microgravity significantly impacts cellular functions and physiological systems, leading to oxidative stress and cellular dysfunction. This study investigated the effects of simulated microgravity on bioprinted vascular tissue constructs made with human skin fibroblast cells encapsulated in GelMA-based bioink. The bioprinting parameters were optimized to obtain tissue constructs with high structural integrity and cellular viability. Cellular viability remained high despite some cell death, likely caused by shear stress during bioprinting or limited nutrient availability while maintaining the samples in a bioreactor. The samples were stained with DHE solution to characterize the oxidative stress and imaged using a confocal microscope. The study revealed that oxidative stress, quantified by reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, increased significantly after 48 h of simulated microgravity exposure. The ROS levels rose from 24 h to 48 h and then there was a subsequent decrease at 72 h, which reflects typical cellular responses to stress from microgravity such as cell adaptation and possible recovery mechanisms. These findings highlight the need for targeted strategies, such as incorporating antioxidants or mitochondria supporting compounds into the bioinks and dynamic culture systems to mitigate the effects of microgravity-induced oxidative stress.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
        </item>
        <item>
            <title><![CDATA[Performance and accuracy of the automated measurement software: Simple Online Automated Plant Phenomics (SOAPP)]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0004</link>
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            <pubDate>Fri, 08 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[Many new tools for morphological and developmental studies have become available to plant biology researchers, including software capable of collecting data, nearly automatically, from phenotypic assays. In this study, we compare the validity and accuracy of data on the growth of seedlings collected using ImageJ software with data collected using a more automated software, termed Simple Online Automated Plant Phenomics (SOAPP). Images from a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) investigating the responses of twenty wild-type plants to gravity were analyzed using both methods and compared. Seedlings were grown in either static or stationary conditions or mounted on a rotating 2D clinostat. We found that although human error did create variability between repeated measurements using ImageJ, while SOAPP exhibited none, the validity of data collected using ImageJ was greater than that collected using SOAPP automation. The manual measurements with ImageJ revealed that one of the Arabidopsis thaliana wild-type lines, AP-Ara-4, experienced less stress due to altered gravitational conditions than the other nineteen lines analyzed. Updates and new features added to the SOAPP software will continue to improve the user interface and the quality of data collected, but it is already valuable as a tool capable of perfect replicability in its measurements of plant growth and development.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
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            <title><![CDATA[Deep Cross-Organism Generalization of the Physiological Effects of Spaceflight from Mammalian Model Organisms to Humans]]></title>
            <link>https://reference-global.com/article/10.2478/gsr-2025-0003</link>
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            <pubDate>Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
            <description><![CDATA[The forthcoming human deep space exploration missions necessitate a thorough understanding of the impact of spaceflight conditions on human physiological systems. The NASA Open Science Data Repository (OSDR; https://osdr.nasa.gov/bio/) serves as a valuable resource, housing data derived from model organisms and human experiments conducted in spaceflight and terrestrial microgravity analogues. Machine Learning applications could maximize the use of existing data to understand and ultimately counteract physiological abnormalities during long-term missions. In our present study, we identified enriched terms and pathways associated with significantly dysregulated genes within each species and across orthologous counterparts. We also generated AI-ready merged meta-datasets comprised of musculoskeletal tissues from Mus musculus and Homo sapiens organisms. We then applied a series of supervised Machine Learning models to classify genes that were significantly over-expressed and under-expressed. Subsequently, we explored the utility of Transfer Learning in this domain by pretraining a model on the larger Mus musculus merged dataset and then refining it on the smaller Homo sapiens dataset. This approach showcases the potential of Transfer Learning in providing an insight into the effective transfer of information from model organisms to humans, offering a robust framework for advancing research in space biology and developing countermeasures for long-duration space exploration.]]></description>
            <category>ARTICLE</category>
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