NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,186 6 February 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

The abstract in PubMed or at the publisher’s site is linked when available and will open in a new window.

In case you missed it: NASA’s National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) funded SonoMotion’s Break Wave^TM lithotripsy device to fragment kidney stones, which are a considerable risk in spaceflight, has recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance. To view the press release, go to: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sonomotion-announces-fda-clearance-for-its-break-wave-lithotripsy-device-for-treatment-of-kidney-stones-302666229.html.

Papers deriving from NASA support:

1. Casaletto JA, Zhao T, Yeung J, Lee A, Ansari A, Fry A, Mishra A, Raj A, Sun K, Lendahl S, Guan W, Cline MS, Costes SV.Machine learning ensemble investigates age in the transcriptomic response to spaceflight in murine mammary tissue: Observational study.JMIRx Bio. 2026 Jan 14;4:e73041.Note: ISS results. This article may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: Not available for this journal
   
   Funding: S.V. Costes is affiliated with NASA Ames Research Center.
2. Dowell Busboom A, Yang J, Ranson TM, Nickerson CA, Ortiz EG, McLean RJC.Development of a high-resolution multiplex qPCR method to profile microbial consortia in spaceflight water recovery systems.Biofilm. 2026 Jun;11:100349.PIs: R.J.C. McLean, C.A. Nickerson, J. YangNote: ISS results. This article may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 4.9
   
   Funding: “This work was supported by grants from NSF (2224449) and NASA (80NSSC22K1361).”
3. Hosseini S, Sivertz M, Alves EM, Carter LM, Story MD.Organ dose conversion factors for murine galactic cosmic ray irradiation.Life Sci Space Res. 2026 Feb 5. Online ahead of print.PI: M.D. StoryNote: From the abstract: “Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) are a principal source of ionizing radiation exposure for astronauts during deep space missions. Given the ambition to expand manned space exploration to distant destinations like Mars, it is essential to accurately predict the radiation doses astronauts are likely to encounter and the consequent biological impacts. Accurate dose predictions are important for operational radiation safety, ensuring that risk assessments and protective measures are appropriately calibrated to the myriad of challenges of deep space travel.”
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 2.8
   
   Funding: “We greatly acknowledge support from National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) grant 80NSSC18K1676 (MDS), the David A. Pistenmaa, MD, PhD Distinguished Chair in Radiation Oncology (MDS) and the NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748 to MSK (LMC). In addition, we thank the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory and the Animal Care personnel at Brookhaven National Laboratory for their help and support.”
4. Leon Parada KN, Lawson G, Chang P, Blakely EA, Bajwa L, Gramajo-Aponte K, Getze S, Luderer U.Irradiation with a mixed heavy ion beam induces ovarian follicle loss and dose-dependent mixed ovarian tumor development.Biol Reprod. 2026 Jan 21. Online ahead of print.PIs: E.A. Blakely, U. LudererNote: This article may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 3.0
   
   Funding: “This research was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) grant #80NSSC19K1620 (Ulrike Luderer) and grants #NNJ11HA941, #NNJ16HP22I, and #80JSC021T0017 (E. Blakely) under DOE (BER) Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.”
5. Watfa A, Younis A, Winnard-Brewer A, Greenlee KM, Ferrin J, Varma N, Myers JG Jr, Wotring V, Mayuga KA.Anticoagulants for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism in humans exposed to microgravity: A hybrid systematic and narrative review.Am Heart J Plus. 2026 Feb;62:100724. Review.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 1.8
   
   Funding: J.G. Myers Jr is affiliated with NASA John H. Glenn Research Center.
6. Kang I, Ding S, Meng Q.Temporally increasing light intensity produces similar lettuce growth more efficiently than fixed high light.Front Plant Sci. 2026 Feb 3;17:1763702.PI: Q. MengNote: This article is part of Research Topic “Advancements in Light Management Strategies for Crop Productivity” (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/71025/advancements-in-light-management-strategies-for-crop-productivity/articles) and may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 4.8
   
   Funding: “The author(s) declared financial support was received for this work and/or its publication. Funding was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS) Division (award # 80NSSC23K1427).”
7. Anderson SR, Kirkley C, Baughman AJ, Cram C, Andrews E, Kim KJ, DiDomenica R, Stosic M, Hoffmann B, Estep P, Bell ST, Marshall-Goebel K, Buckland DM.Characterizing cognitive workload during simulated surface extravehicular activity with integrated virtual reality.Front Psychol. 2026 Jan 25;17:1713354.Note: This article is part of Research Topic “Gravitational Influence on Human Cognition and Behavior: Emerging Research” (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/66872/gravitational-influence-on-human-cognition-and-behavior-emerging-research/articles) and may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 2.9
   
   Funding: “Research was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Mars Campaign Office (MCO). SA, AB, CC, EA, KK, RD, MS, PE, and BH were supported by KBR’s Human Health and Performance Contract NNJ15HK11B through NASA.”
8. Gauri HM, Neupane S, Bharti B.Surface-topography-guided locomotion of magnetic microbots enabled by vision-based adaptive control.Cell Rep Phys Sci. 2026 Jan 23;103085. Online ahead of print.PI: B. BhartiNote: This article may be obtained online without charge.
   
   Journal Impact Factor: 7.3
   
   Funding: “Financial support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under grant numbers CBET-1943986 (NSF-CAREER) and DMR 2522727 is gratefully acknowledged. B.B. and S.N. also acknowledge the partial financial support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR) under grant number 80NSSC24M0105.”

Other papers of interest:

1. Santomartino R, Rodriguez Blanco G, Gudgeon A, Hafner JH, Stirpe A, Waterfall M, Cayzer N, Pichevin L, Calder G, Birkenfeld KR, Waajen AC, McLaughlin S, Mariani A, Balsamo M, Neri G, Eades LJ, Cockell CS.Microbial biomining from asteroidal material onboard the International Space Station.npj Microgravity. 2026 Jan 30. Early access article.Note: ISS results. This article may be obtained online without charge.
2. Khullar S, Morya AK, Aggarwal S, Gupta T, Priyanka P, Morya R.Ocular health in outer space and beyond gravity: A minireview.World J Clin Cases. 2026 Jan 26;14(3):117257. Review.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
3. Li C, Wang H, Wang R, Hao C, Wang D, Sun L, Liang S, Liu H, Li X, Wang H, Ren Z.Microbial adaptation to spaceflight: A bibliometric analysis of health-related research trends (2000-2024).Annals of Microbiology. 2026 Jan 28. Review.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
4. Prucka AP, Shelhamer M, Cordero RJB.Submarine medicine as an analog for spaceflight: A review of acute medical care.npj Microgravity. 2026 Jan 30. Early access article.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
5. Fernander MC, McClure KR, Sanders BT, Solomon JE, Graves JL, Jr., Thomas MD.Adaptive transcriptional remodeling of Streptococcus mutans under simulated microgravity and silver stress reveals evolutionary innovation in artificial environments.npj Complex. 2026;3(1):6.Note: High aspect rotating vessels (HARVs) were used to simulate microgravity in this study. This article may be obtained online without charge.
6. Kabir A, B M, Manohar A, Gadani M, Sinha AK, Sharma P, Verma A, Selvaraj V, Sudhakar S.Protein nano-bioactives against microgravity-induced endothelial dysfunction.npj Microgravity. 2026 Feb 2. Early access article.Note: From the abstract: “Prolonged space missions expose astronauts to microgravity and cosmic radiation, leading to persistent vascular dysfunction driven by oxidative stress, cardiac deconditioning, and reduced physical activity. Current therapies are limited by adverse effects such as hypertension, hyperkalemia, and poor bioavailability, with no effective countermeasures targeting oxidative and endothelial-specific damage. Here, we present a multifunctional zein nanocage-based therapeutic formulation (ZNT) that encapsulates a remedial cocktail designed to mitigate oxidative stress and protect cardiovascular health under simulated microgravity conditions.” This article may be obtained online without charge.
7. Ma QR, Lu JC, Li YQ, Lan HJ, Liu Y, Zhao YF.Relevance analysis of N-glycan variations in C2C12 cells and mouse serum under simulated microgravity using a quaternary phosphonium hydrazide labeling strategy-based mass spectrometry quantitation approach.Anal Bioanal Chem. 2026 Jan 28. Early access article.Note: Hindlimb unloading study.
8. Rybacki B, Wysocki W, Zajkowski T, Brodzik R, Krawczyk B.Effects of microgravity, hypergravity, and ionizing radiation on the enzymatic activity of Proteinase K.Molecules. 2026 Jan 9;31(2):229.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
9. Li Y, Zhao P.TMK1 phosphorylates and stabilizes PIN2 to reinforce auxin flux during root gravitropism.Advanced Agrochem. 2026 Jan 19. Online ahead of print.Note: This article may be obtained online without charge.
10. Bryans CG, Mastrandrea CJ, Hedge ET, Siebenmann C, Hargens AR, Karlsson LL, Hughson RL, Linnarsson D.Fluid-regulating hormones and plasma volume during 60-days of head-down bedrest with exercise during artificial gravity (BRACE).J Appl Physiol (1985). 2026 Jan 30. Online ahead of print.
11. Xu R, Guo J, Li W, Xie Z, Zhai Y, Jiang S, Li Y, Xia K, Chen Y.Accuracy of wearable smartwatch for measuring blood pressure and oxygen saturation across a wide altitudinal gradient: A comparative study in migrant and resident populations.Front Physiol. 2026 Feb 2;17:1746894.Note: This article is part of Research Topic “Physiological and Pathological Responses to Hypoxia and High Altitude, Volume IV” (https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/74860/physiological-and-pathological-responses-to-hypoxia-and-high-altitude-volume-iv/articles). The Research Topic also includes an article from previous Current Awareness List #1,183 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2025.1724998. This article may be obtained online without charge.

Astrobiology, space biology, space medicine, microgravity, NASA,