Now In Convenient GIF Form. 

NGC 2736, Pencil Nebula

Happy birthday, Robert Downey Jr! We know how much you like Pepper, so we had this made in your honor. But be careful in high winds, so you don’t end up like certain Avengers we know… (Too soon? Maybe. But you don’t have to be salty about it!)

Tony: Where is my super suit?

Stephen: What?

Tony: WHERE. IS. MY. IRON. SUIT? WHERE?

Stephen: Why do you need to know?

Tony: I NEED IT!

Stephen: Uh-huh

Tony: THE PUBLIC IS IN DANGER! YOU TELL ME WHERE MY SUIT IS, WIZARD! WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GREATER GOOD!

Stephen: “Greater good?” I’m your husband! I am the greatest good you are EVER gonna get!

sexy passionate destiel kiss doodle for today

I like how the fandom seems to be united by our love for grumpy Cas

Highlights of C.C. Signing

Cassandra Clare’s first novel was The Beautiful Cassandra, based on Jane Austin’s novel of the same name when she was a child. She didn’t know how to write romances, so she just killed the love interest with a falling boulder.

Simon is loosely based off both her best friend and boyfriend from highschool as they were both “brown-haired, slightly neurotic Jews who played Dungeons and Dragons”

Cassandra Clare used to have a wall that she put her notes on but it started to look like a crazy person’s wall, like Emma’s Wall of Crazy, so she took it down.

Will’s hatred of ducks comes from Cassie’s own experience where she and her friend accidentally fed duck pie to mallards in Hyde Park and upon realizing it, stopped, only for the ducks who had “aquired a taste for flesh” to chase them all around the park.

She isn’t sure if Kit hates ducks other not as he hasn’t seen any in the books yet.

She doesn’t know what the password for the LA Shadow Market is, she just knew she wanted Kit to flip them off.

Upon being asked why all warlocks seem to have tragic last names (i.e. Fell, Bane, Loss, etc) she said she didn’t notice they were tragic, she thought they sounded badass but now she’s sad and said she’ll have to name one Barnabas Sunshine.

Simon’s fate was PURPOSELY left out of Thule and it is important.

Her adult novels were picked up for a TV show/movie and she’s much more involved than she was for any TMI productions. (She was EXTREMELY professional in answering this question.)

She tends to start off with a scene in her head rather than a character and then goes from there.

When asked about fight scenes, she quoted; “Fight scenes are like love scenes, you always need to know where their hands are”

She used to make her friends help her choreograph her fight scenes because it was so hard. She says the hardest part for her is adding pockets of dialogue or “presence” of characters amid a fight scene.

She was SO nice, you guys! She was extremely personable and fan-oriented so no one felt rushed when meeting her. I’m still so thrilled. I won an advanced copy of Red Scrolls of Magic in a trivia game. (The question was which shirt was Simon wearing in City of Ash when he meets Clary outside the comic book store. I have read these books too many times, guys, because I also knew the dialogue surrounding the shirt lol)

Two are Better Than One: The NASA Twins Study

What exactly happens to the human body during spaceflight? The Twins Study,  a 340-day investigation conducted by NASA’s Human Research Program , sought to find answers. Scientists had an opportunity to see how conditions on the International Space Station translated to changes in gene expression by comparing identical twin astronauts: Scott Kelly who spent close to a year in space and Mark Kelly who remained on Earth.

The Process

From high above the skies, for almost a year, astronaut Scott Kelly periodically collected his own blood specimens for researchers on the ground during his One-Year Mission aboard the Space Station. These biological specimens made their way down to Earth onboard two separate SpaceX Dragon vehicles. A little bit of Scott returned to Earth each time and was studied by scientists across the United States.

Totaling 183 samples from Scott and his brother, Mark, these vials helped scientists understand the changes Scott’s body underwent while spending a prolonged stay in low Earth orbit.  

The Twins

Because identical twins share the same genetic makeup, they are very similar on a molecular level. Twin studies provide a way for scientists to explore how our health is impacted by the environment around us.

What We Learned: Gene Expression

A significant finding is the variability in gene expression, which reflects how a body reacts to its environment and will help inform how gene expression is related to health risks associated with spaceflight. While in space, researchers observed changes in the expression of Scott’s genes, with the majority returning to normal after six months on Earth. However, a small percentage of genes related to the immune system and DNA repair did not return to baseline after his return to Earth. Further, the results identified key genes to target for use in monitoring the health of future astronauts and potentially developing personalized countermeasures.

What We Learned: Immunome

Another key finding is that Scott’s immune system responded appropriately in space. For example, the flu vaccine administered in space worked exactly as it does on Earth. A fully functioning immune system during long-duration space missions is critical to protecting astronaut health from opportunistic microbes in the spacecraft environment.

What We Learned: Proteomics

Studying protein pathways in Scott enabled researchers to look at fluid regulation and fluid shifts within his body. Shifts in fluid may contribute to vision problems in astronauts. Scientists found a specific protein associated with fluid regulation was elevated in Scott, compared with his brother Mark on Earth.

What We Learned: Telomeres

The telomeres in Scott’s white blood cells, which are biomarkers of aging at the end of chromosomes, were unexpectedly longer in space then shorter after his return to Earth with average telomere length returning to normal six months later. In contrast, his brother’s telomeres remained stable throughout the entire period. Because telomeres are important for cellular genomic stability, additional studies on telomere dynamics are planned for future one-year missions to see whether results are repeatable for long-duration missions.

What We Learned: Cognition

Scott Kelly participated in a series of cognitive performance evaluations (such as mental alertness, spatial orientation, and recognition of emotions) administered through a battery of tests and surveys. Researchers found that during spaceflight, Scott’s cognitive function remained normal for the first half of his stay onboard the space station compared to the second half of his spaceflight and to his brother, Mark, on the ground. However, upon landing, Scott’s speed and accuracy decreased. Re-exposure to Earth’s gravity and the dynamic experience of landing may have affected the results.  

What We Learned: Biochemical

In studying various measurements on Scott, researchers found that his body mass decreased during flight, likely due to controlled nutrition and extensive exercise. While on his mission, Scott consumed about 30% less calories than researchers anticipated. An increase in his folate serum (vitamin B-9), likely due to an increase of the vitamin in his pre-packaged meals, was also noted by researchers. This is bolstered by the telomeres study, which suggests that proper nutrition and exercise help astronauts maintain health while in space.

What We Learned: Metabolomics

Within five months of being aboard the space station, researchers found an increase in the thickness of Scott’s arterial wall, which may have been caused by inflammation and oxidative stress during spaceflight. Whether this change is reversible is yet to be determined. They hope these results will help them understand the stresses that the human cardiovascular system undergoes during spaceflight. 

In addition, the results from the Microbiome, Epigenomics, and Integrative Omics studies suggest a human body is capable of adapting to and recovering from the spaceflight environment on a molecular level.

Why Does This Matter?

The data from the Twins Study Investigation will be explored for years to come as researchers report some interesting, surprising, and assuring data on how the human body is able to adapt to the extreme environment of spaceflight. This study gave us the first integrated molecular view into genetic changes, and demonstrated the plasticity and robustness of a human body!

We will use the valuable data to ensure the safety and health of the men and women who go on to missions to the Moon and on to Mars.

Learn more with this video about these fascinating discoveries!  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

I’M DONE

Be aware. Winter is coming.