![]() ![]() ![]() USask Master of Science student Michelle Vargas Fernandez is currently tasked with developing a plastic material that contains melanin nanoparticles so it can be tested for its ability to protect vital organs from simulated space radiation. The next step of the project will assess the ability of melanin to be incorporated into plastics to be used in a physical shield. “The experiment was cancelled twice at the last minute due to complications during the pandemic and equipment failure at the NASA facility before we were finally able to complete it.” “Co-ordination of this work has been ongoing since 2019 and has been extremely challenging,” said Malo. ![]() With the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the research work was interrupted, but the lab team pushed on in the face of challenges with international travel and supply chain disruptions. “By identifying easily administered and safe means of protecting radiation-sensitive organs, you could potentially reduce some of the hazards of space travel.” “Space travel involves countless risks, including radiation exposure,” said Malo. Department of Energy facility, where she worked on an experiment in which melanin-containing mushrooms were tested to see if ingesting them and their melanin content could decrease the negative effects of space radiation on the body. This research work has taken Malo as far as the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a U.S. Protecting astronauts from radiation in space addresses one of the many concerns with long-term space travel – a feat that many international space organizations are working to take on in the next decade. Recently, the team’s main research focus has centered on how melanin may protect astronauts from radiation-rich space travel. The Dadachova lab team, managed by Mackenzie Malo (in the middle, fifth from the left), has been focusing on research work that aims to shield people from the harmful effects of radiation by ingesting melanin-infused mushrooms. ![]()
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