SpaceX’s Dragon cargo ship is scheduled to launch Tuesday (March 14) evening, carrying nearly 6,300 pounds (2,860 kilograms) of cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). But among the spacewalk equipment, vehicle hardware and fresh fruit for the crew, there will be several small devices that contain something a little more unusual: beating human heart tissue.
The tissue will be used in two experiments — Cardinal Heart 2.0 and Engineered Heart Tissues-2 — which will test whether existing drugs can help prevent or reverse spaceflight’s negative effects on the heart.
Research indicates that spaceflight can shrink the heart, because in microgravity, the heart muscles don’t need to work as hard to pump blood through the upper parts of the body. In addition, the heart may change shape under the influence of microgravity, as blood shifts upward, out of the legs and abdomen and into the head and torso, causing the heart to swell, according to NASA (opens in new tab) .
Studies suggest that the heart also undergoes cellular changes associated with aging during spaceflight. Therefore, this research is not only critical to future space exploration but could also lead to improved treatments for age-related heart dysfunction and disease on Earth, Devin Mair (opens in new tab) , a doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University who’s involved in Engineered Heart Tissues-2, said during a NASA news conference Tuesday.
Related: Tiny ‘hearts’ self-assemble in lab dishes and even beat like the real thing
The experiments are part of the Tissue Chips in Space initiative, a joint project of the National Institutes of Health and the International Space Station National Laboratory aimed at understanding the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on the human body, according to NASA (opens in new tab) .
The Engineered Heart Tissues-2 (opens in new tab) experiment involves two devices that carry cardiomyocytes — the heart muscle cells that contract — in small, fluid-filled chambers. The muscle cells were grown from stem cells and coaxed into 3D shapes in the lab. They were then strung between two posts within each chamber, similar to how tennis nets are suspended between a pair of posts. One post contains a magnet that moves each time the muscle cells contract. A sensor tracks the magnet’s movement, allowing the researchers to monitor muscle contractions in real time. RELATED STORIES—Lab-grown miniplacentas resemble the real thing so much, they fooled a pregnancy test
—Scientists grew human tear ducts in a lab and taught them to cry
—What are ‘minibrains’? Everything to know about brain organoids
Mair and his colleagues previously sent heart tissue to space in March 2020, and in that experiment, they observed signs that cells’ mitochondria were malfunctioning, he said at the NASA news conference. Mitochondria provide power to cells and thus fuel the pumping of the heart, and their dysfunction has been tied to a variety of heart problems, including irregular heartbeat and heart failure. In an experiment launched on this trip to the ISS, the team will continue to study mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as test several existing drugs to see if they prevent or reverse the problems, Mair said.
“These drugs specifically target mitochondrial dysfunction and upstream mechanisms that lead to this dysfunction,” Mair told Live Science in an email.
Similarly, the Cardinal Heart 2.0 (opens in new tab) experiment will use tiny, 3D clumps of heart tissue, known as heart organoids, to test whether already-approved drugs can protect heart cells from the stress of microgravity. The organoids will be treated prior to Dragon’s launch, with the goal of preventing the negative effects of microgravity from setting in, Dilip Thomas (opens in new tab) , a postdoctoral researcher at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute who’s involved in Cardinal Heart 2.0, said at the news conference. These drugs include a statin and an anti-hypertensive drug used for heart failure, Thomas told Live Science in an email.
The organoids, grown from stem cells, are tiny models of full-size hearts that mimic key features of the organ’s structure and function. They contain cardiomyocytes, as well as cells that provide physical scaffolding for heart muscles (cardiac fibroblasts), and ones that line blood vessels (endothelial cells).
The Dragon spacecraft is set to launch at 8:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday (0030 GMT Wednesday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Here’s how to watch it live (opens in new tab) .
Nigel Farage has successfully exploited the Commons recess to “grab the mic” and “dominate” the agenda, Harriet Harman has said.
Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the Labour peer said that the Reform UK leader has been able to “get his voice heard” while government was not in “full swing”.
Mr Farage used a speech this week to set himself, rather than Kemi Badenoch’s Tories, up as the main opposition to Sir Keir Starmer at the next election.
Baroness Harman said: “It’s slightly different between opposition and government because in government, the ministers have to be there the whole time.
“They’ve got to be putting legislation through and they kind of hold the mic.
More from Politics
“They can dominate the news media with the announcements they’re making and with the bills they’re introducing, and it’s quite hard for the opposition to get a hearing whilst the government is in full swing.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
1:37
‘Big cuts’ to fund other Reform UK policies
“What we used to do when we were in opposition before 1997 is that as soon as there was a bank holiday and the House was not sitting, as soon as the half-term or the summer recess, we would be on an absolute war footing and dominate the airwaves because that was our opportunity.
“And I think that’s a bit of what Farage has done this week,” Harman added.
“Basically, Farage can dominate the media agenda.”
She went on: “He’s kind of stepped forward, and he’s using this moment of the House not sitting in order to actually get his voice heard.
“It’s sensible for the opposition to take the opportunity of when the House is not sitting to kind of grab the mic and that is what Nigel Farage has done.”
But Baroness Harman said it “doesn’t seem to be what Kemi Badenoch’s doing”.
She explained that the embattled leader “doesn’t seem to be grabbing the mic like Nigel Farage has” during recess, and added that “there’s greater opportunity for the opposition”.
DALLAS — Connor McDavid had the breakaway goal that swung the momentum back to the Edmonton Oilers, and their captain happily touched the trophy they got after wrapping up another Western Conference title.
McDavid got that big goal in the second period after an earlier assist, 40-year-old Corey Perry scored again and the Oilers are going to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row after beating the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Thursday night in Game 5 to wrap up the West finals.
When McDavid accepted the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, he gladly put his hands on it this time.
“It’s pretty obvious I think,” McDavid said about what was different from the end of last year’s West finals. “Don’t touch it last year; you don’t win. Touch it this year; hopefully we win.”
Edmonton scored on its first two shots and jumped ahead 3-0 in the first 8:07 on way to eliminating the Stars in the West finals for the second year in a row.
The Oilers get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after their series last June went seven games after the Panthers had won the first three games. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.
Dallas was within a goal when Thomas Harley had a one-timer blocked by Mattias Ekholm, the Oilers defenseman playing for the first time this postseason. McDavid gathered the long ricochet well past center ice, stayed ahead of speedy Roope Hintz and beat goalie Casey DeSmith with 5:32 left in the second period.
“That’s a Connor McDavid kind of play and that’s just the player he is,” Perry said.
Jason Robertson scored twice and Hintz had a goal for the Stars, who ended their season in the West finals for the third year in a row. Wyatt Johnston and Harley each had two assists.
“You’ve got to keep knocking on the door,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We chased every single game in this series and that’s a tough way to play hockey against that team. It was the story of the entire series, but the fourth goal, Connor’s goal … puck bounces into the neutral zone, he’s coming off the bench, he’s not missing that. It’s game over.”
DeSmith had taken over in net after starting goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled following Janmark’s goal that made it 2-0 only 7:09 into the game.
Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner had 14 saves. DeSmith, who hadn’t played since April 26 in Game 1 of the first round against Colorado, stopped 17 of 20 shots.
Perry scored on a power play, assisted by McDavid and Draisaitl, only 2:31 in the game. His seven goals are the most by any player age 39 or older in a single postseason, and the 2007 Stanley Cup champion with Anaheim when he was 22 is now going to his fifth Final in the past six seasons.
That was McDavid’s 100th assist in 90 playoff games, making him the second-fastest player in NHL history to reach that mark. Wayne Gretzky had 100 assists in his first 70 playoff games, and no other player has reached the mark in fewer than 125 games.
Robertson scored a minute into the third period to get the Stars within a goal again. Kane then scored on a shot that went off the skate of Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell and past DeSmith.
Jeff Skinner, the 33-year-old forward who has played 1,078 regular-season games over 15 years with three teams, scored his first career postseason goal for the 3-0 lead. His playoff debut was in the first-round opener against Los Angeles on April 21, but he didn’t play again until Thursday, when the Oilers were without injured forwards Zach Hyman and Connor Brown.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
DALLAS — Jake Oettinger is one reason the Stars are in a championship window, yet his Game 5 performance Thursday night was instrumental in Dallas’ third straight Western Conference finals exit.
Oettinger allowed two goals on Edmonton‘s first two shots, leading Stars coach Peter DeBoer to pull his star goaltender, hoping it would spark a change. It did, as Dallas pulled within a goal twice only to watch its season end in a 6-3 loss to the Oilers.
“Any time you pull a goalie the reasoning is to always try and spark your group,” DeBoer said. “So that’s your No. 1 reason. We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with the lead, and obviously, we’re in a 2-0 hole right away. I didn’t take that lightly, and I didn’t blame it all on Jake.
“But the reality is, if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton.”
Dallas’ downfall began when rookie forward Mavrik Bourque was called for high-sticking with 18:13 left in the first period. The Oilers needed less than a minute for Corey Perry to score on the man advantage for a 1-0 lead. Mattias Janmark then scored nearly five minutes later for a 2-0 lead.
The early deficit continued a trend for the Stars, who allowed the first goal in their past seven playoff games going back to Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Winnipeg Jets.
Casey DeSmith relieved Oettinger, who logged 7:09 in ice time in his second appearance this postseason. His first came in the Stars’ 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the quarterfinals, when he played 19:50.
DeSmith stopped the first two shots he faced, but the Oilers took a 3-0 lead on the third via Jeff Skinner, who entered the lineup after Zach Hyman suffered an injury in Game 4 that is expected to keep him out throughout the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.
The Stars twice cut the deficit to one goal. Jason Robertson scored the first of his two goals with 8:20 left in the opening period before Roope Hintz scored on a power-play goal with 7:33 remaining in the second, trimming the lead to 3-2.
Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid countered on a breakaway, maneuvering past Hintz and scoring for a 4-2 edge with 5:32 left in the second.
Robertson’s second goal just 38 seconds into the third brought it to within one again, but Evander Kane‘s attempt to throw a pass into the slot was redirected off Esa Lindell‘s skate and into the net for a 5-3 lead less than three minutes later.
That effectively ended the Stars’ comeback before Kasperi Kapanen‘s empty-netter pushed it to 6-3 with 11 seconds left.
“I don’t know the timing of it, but I think they scored pretty quickly both times,” Robertson said of the Stars coming within a goal. “It’s disappointing.”
Robertson was then asked about the message sent by DeBoer regarding the decision to pull Oettinger.
“We gotta step up,” he said. “It’s unacceptable for us to let him hang him out like that. The whole playoffs, he’s been our guy. The whole season. It’s unacceptable.”
Oettinger, who won more than 30 regular-season games for a fourth straight season, began last year’s Western Conference finals with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage through the first three games as the Stars took a 2-1 lead. But he then lost the next three games while posting a 3.09 GAA and a .847 save percentage with the Stars falling in Game 6 despite allowing only 10 shots on goal.
Dallas opened this series with a comeback 6-3 win as Oettinger gave up three goals on 24 shots. Game 4 was the only time this series in which his save percentage exceeded .900 (.935 after stopping 29 of 31 shots).
“So, it was to partly spark our team and wake them up,” DeBoer said. “And partly knowing [the] status quo had not been working, and that’s a pretty big sample size.”
Oettinger’s early exit adds to what will be an offseason of intrigue for a Stars team that has several financial decisions to make in what is expected to be an active offseason in the Western Conference.
PuckPedia projects the team will have a little more than $4.96 million remaining in cap space because it traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, in addition to the pay bumps players such as Wyatt Johnston and Oettinger will receive starting next season.
Dallas will have a seven-player class of unrestricted free agents led by captain Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene. Benn told ESPN in late March that he didn’t envision playing for any other team.
Along with reconfiguring parts of their roster, the Stars also will use the offseason to reconcile what it means to be the first team in NHL history to reach three straight conference finals and not advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
“The examples are endless in this league,” DeBoer said. “You know, the Washington Capitals, a decade of knocking on the door. You know, on and on. It’s a really, really hard league to win in. And when you get down to the end of the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher.”