NASA

How many genes are in human DNA

20,000-25,000 genes in human DNA

What is the speed of light?

299,792,458 meters per sec, denoted c

Who's the CEO of NASA

Charles Bolden (resigned in jan 2017) - there is none currently

What does DNA stand for

Deoxyribonucleic acid

Who's the head of Ames Research Center?

Eugene Tu

What's your timeline?

Graduated 2011 NYU / Bio, interned/researched in lab 2011-2013, Grad school Berkeley 2012-2014 (may 2014), NASA Jan 2015-current

What do you do?

I'm a genetic researcher at NASA

Where are the other NASA locations?

JPL (jet propulsion lab in pasadena), Armstrong flight research (palmdale), Kennedy Space Center (Florida), Johnson Space Center (houston), Goddard space center (DC)

What are the names of the twins in the twin study?

Mark and Scott Kelly

Who went with Scott on the mission?

Mikhail Kornieko from Russia (Roscosmos)

What are some of the Mars rovers called?

Pathfinder, Phoenix, Viking 1-2

What does RNA stand for

Ribonucleic acid

Who's the Acting Administrator of NASA

Robert Lightfoot

When did the study start?

Scott Kelly left March 2015 and returned March last year

Name one of the future Mars missions

The Insight is a rover we're landing in 2018 to study seismic conditions of Mars

What are some findings you've had so far?

There was a loss of bone formation during Scott's time in ISS, and increase in inflammation during liftoff and after landing, likely due to stress.

How do astronauts work out?

They tie themselves to a treadmill and do about 2-2.5 hours of running a day

What are some of the Mars orbiter names?

Viking 1-2, Mariner 8-9, Mars Observer

What are some other effects of space travel?

Vision loss, bloating, weaker muscles, depression

What are some other discoveries the other teams have found?

When given a flu shot, both twins reacted by producing more T-cells, the expected response, so we concluded that immunity shots worked even in space. We also discovered that Scott's telomeres were elongated, which basically means he aged at a slower pace, and is "younger" than his twin.

Talk about fluid shifts

When we're in prolongued weightlessness, our fluids tend to shift upwards in the body, and over long periods of time, this affects your organs like lungs, brains, heart.

How do you measure bone density?

With a bone density test, we have X-rays that calculate the proportion of minerals in bones such as calcium and phosphate.

How does gravity affect bone density?

Zero gravity decreases bone density, by about 1-2% a month