Temple University engineering researchers seek answers on bone health in space
For generations, the journey into space has been a primary focus of those who escape the gravity well of planet Earth. We have a good idea about the health effects of low gravity in low earth orbit (LEO), but what about the effects of living on a new planet?
A pair of Temple University researchers are pursuing that very question, and their work just may have good bones.
Laura H. Carnell Professor and Bioengineering Department chair Peter Lelkes and newly-minted PhD Justin Braveboy-Wagner recently published their joint work, studying how partial gravity conditions—such as those found on the Moon and Mars—may impact bone health. Their paper was published in June in the prestigious journal npj nature Microgravity. It is the first comprehensive study comparing the effects of different simulated partial gravities and microgravity on the function of cultured animal cells.