ひきこもり者に特徴的な血液バイオマーカー、九大が発見 (1)

九州大学(九大)は6月2日、ひきこもり者(6か月以上自宅にとどまり続ける社会的ひきこもり状況にある状態)の血液中の代謝物や脂質の測定により、ひきこもり者に特徴的な血液バイオマーカーを発見したことを発表した。 同成果は、九大 病院検査部の瀬戸山大樹助教、同・康東天教授、同病院 精神科神経科の加藤隆弘准教授、…

NASA probably won’t need Russia to send more astronauts to the ISS

NASA might not have to lean on Russia again to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. Ars Technicanotes the agency has bought five extra crewed ISS flights from SpaceX, or enough to maintain “uninterrupted” US staffing aboard the station until its expected 2030 demise. While NASA still intends to use Boeing’s Starliner, the new SpaceX missions will be necessary to fulfill plans for alternating between the two companies once both are an option.

The extra flights could be used as soon as 2026. They’ll help with redundancy and keep the ISS operating safely if any problems prevent Boeing or SpaceX from launching in a timely fashion, NASA said. At present, SpaceX is the only private company certified to fly astronauts. Boeing isn’t expected to fly its first operational mission until 2023.

This might not deprive Boeing of more chances to fly astronauts to the ISS. If NASA doesn’t order more flights, however, the company will have missed its big chance to one-up SpaceX. The current arrangement provides a total of 14 Crew Dragon missions versus just six Starliner trips — the aerospace giant will have lost a large chunk of its potential business to a relative newcomer.