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Beyond the lab coat: methodological challenges in space life sciences

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Názov: Beyond the lab coat: methodological challenges in space life sciences
Autori: Martine Van Puyvelde, Nicholas H. van den Berg, Lara Stas, Perseverence Savieri, Hortense Corlùy, Jeroen Van Cutsem, Xavier Neyt, Guido Simonelli, Nathalie Pattyn
Zdroj: Frontiers in Physiology, Vol 16 (2025)
Informácie o vydavateľovi: Frontiers Media S.A., 2025.
Rok vydania: 2025
Zbierka: LCC:Physiology
Predmety: space life sciences, space analogs, field research, research methodologies, space, space methodology, Physiology, QP1-981
Popis: As plans for deep space and long-duration missions advance, research in space and space-analog environments is becoming an urgent scientific priority. However, this type of fieldwork poses a unique set of challenges. The development of research methodologies and designs cannot rely on broad evidence base and thus requires scientific judgment and multidisciplinary psychophysiological expertise. Most studies comprise small samples, often lack control groups, sex differences have seldom been directly tested in this area and inter-individual variability is prevalent in this population. Moreover, this research domain is characterized by several exceptional factors that must be addressed. The target population is highly trained and not representative of the general population, demanding adapted study designs and highly sensitive and operationally relevant research tools. To avoid overburdening the already heavy operational schedules of this population, a careful and feasible balance must be established between scientific data quality and acceptable monitoring load. Furthermore, several issues of location, timing, and type of baseline measures must be explicitly considered, while long-term follow-up designs are necessary to assess both recovery and persistent post-mission effects. Major space agencies have indeed identified methodological issues as a knowledge gap in this area. In this review, we provide an overview of these methodological challenges unique to space life sciences and offer solutions where possible. We argue that space research remains feasible despite these constraints, but only when it is approached with the understanding that such fieldwork often requires fundamentally different methods than traditional laboratory science.
Druh dokumentu: article
Popis súboru: electronic resource
Jazyk: English
ISSN: 1664-042X
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1663701/full; https://doaj.org/toc/1664-042X
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2025.1663701
Prístupová URL adresa: https://doaj.org/article/5676fe8bd3f543de91f514acb016318d
Prístupové číslo: edsdoj.5676fe8bd3f543de91f514acb016318d
Databáza: Directory of Open Access Journals
Popis
Abstrakt:As plans for deep space and long-duration missions advance, research in space and space-analog environments is becoming an urgent scientific priority. However, this type of fieldwork poses a unique set of challenges. The development of research methodologies and designs cannot rely on broad evidence base and thus requires scientific judgment and multidisciplinary psychophysiological expertise. Most studies comprise small samples, often lack control groups, sex differences have seldom been directly tested in this area and inter-individual variability is prevalent in this population. Moreover, this research domain is characterized by several exceptional factors that must be addressed. The target population is highly trained and not representative of the general population, demanding adapted study designs and highly sensitive and operationally relevant research tools. To avoid overburdening the already heavy operational schedules of this population, a careful and feasible balance must be established between scientific data quality and acceptable monitoring load. Furthermore, several issues of location, timing, and type of baseline measures must be explicitly considered, while long-term follow-up designs are necessary to assess both recovery and persistent post-mission effects. Major space agencies have indeed identified methodological issues as a knowledge gap in this area. In this review, we provide an overview of these methodological challenges unique to space life sciences and offer solutions where possible. We argue that space research remains feasible despite these constraints, but only when it is approached with the understanding that such fieldwork often requires fundamentally different methods than traditional laboratory science.
ISSN:1664042X
DOI:10.3389/fphys.2025.1663701