Holobionts in Space: Designing a Healthy Human from Scratch

Learn the Necessary Components to Keep and Sustain Colonists’ Health on Mars

 

Imagine humans have successfully settled a colony on Mars. There would be necessary components to keep and sustain their health on this new and strange terrain. This includes how angiogenesis initiates the process of new blood and vessel growth. Students will witness how the human body can regenerate itself from wounds and also research immunity and what foods naturally boost the human immune system.

What You Will Learn

Humans need certain conditions to ensure health for survival on Mars. Learn how angiogenesis, regeneration and mitochondrial health affects their health!

• Learn about angiogenesis and new blood vessel growth.
• Encounter how the human body regenerates itself like a starfish and can heal itself from wounds.
• Explore the human microbiome and which flora in the human gut are necessary for us to thrive.
• Learn about DNA protection and how the genetic code can repair itself including unique risk factors in a xenic (non-Earth) environment.
• Research immunity and what foods naturally boost the actions of the immune system.
• Discover the fascinating organelle known as mitochondria that grows and divides independently of our cells—though it exists within them!

Return to the Sally Ride Science Academy website here.

Note: Upon successful enrollment of a section, students will receive a confirmation email from our Student Services team. This email will include a link to an authorization form that is required to be completed within 72-hours of enrollment. 

In response to COVID-19 health guidelines, we have restructured our in-person Junior Academy workshops as
online courses. Contact us at srs@ucsd.edu if you have questions.

Course Number: BIOL-90047
Credit: 1.50 unit(s)