An Astrobiology Biomedical Spinoff Funded By NASA That No One Will Ever Hear About

Keith’s note: According to Astrobiology Spinoff: NASA Funded Research Used Tardigrade Proteins To Make A Human Health Breakthrough “University of Wyoming researchers’ study of how microscopic creatures called tardigrades survive extreme conditions has led to a major breakthrough that could eventually make life-saving treatments available to people where refrigeration isn’t possible.” NASA funded this research. And there is an important “spinoff”. And you will never hear about it from NASA Public Affairs because they either do not know how to tell the story and/or do not care to take the time to bring together disparate parts of the agency to make a coherent story. More below.

Usually the “spinoffs” that NASA hypes have to do with space technology or commercially-funded research. In this case some genomics and microbiology mixed in with proteomics, immunology, pharmacology, and hematology – in a biomedical setting – in a Wyoming university – using an organism beloved by astrobiologists – has produced tangible results with applicability to organ preservation on Earth and perhaps biological uses during long space missions. What is not to love about this?

Don’t hold your breath for NASA Public Affairs to say anything. Plus there’s the often insurmountable issue of stove piping within NASA wherein no one talks to anyone outside of their sandbox.

According to the research paper that describes this study: the research was supported in part by “NASA Space Grant Consortium, NASA Grant #80NSSC20M0113”

Alas, the NASA Space Grant folks do not really interact with NASA as much as they should. And NASA Space Grant staff don’t really interact with NASA SMD. And within SMD the Biological and Physical Science and Astrobiology foks do not interact – and they certainly do not interact with the space medicine folks in HEOMD or with the commercial space folks. And NASA PAO has zero imagination when it comes to surmounting internal stovepipes to write overall agency success stories.

Add in the fact that Thursday’s SMD Budget Town Hall never even mentioned “Astrobiology” or its budget and the Astrobiology folks never mentioned that the Town Hall was happening and, well … once again a cool convergence of NASA interests has resulted in an ad hoc synergy wherein an emergent property allowed tardigrade biology to find a use in human biomedicine. But the players within NASA don’t do they coordination thing very well – if at all.

So, thanks NASA for somehow allowing this cool research to happen and the spinoffs that may result. Now back to your sand boxes and stove pipes.