Into the deep
Elie Dolgin • January 29, 2026
As humans return to the Moon, researchers are trying to understand—and thwart—the biological toll of deep-space radiation.
Jeremy Hansen has spent years preparing for the moment he will leave Earth behind—and become one of the first astronauts in more than 50 years to venture beyond low-Earth orbit.
In case of mishaps in deep space, Hansen has simulated countless spacecraft accidents. To practice teamwork in a harsh environment, he lived for a week deep underground in an Italian cave. And to rehearse the mental strain of life in close confinement, he spent days submerged in a capsule off the coast of Florida.
But there is one hazard Hansen can’t prepare for: space radiation.
Continue reading at Science.
In January 2025, Linda-Gail Bekker stood inside a vaccine manufacturing plant and allowed herself to believe that the first HIV vaccine candidate conceived through African science and led by Africans might finally become a reality. Continue reading at V ox .
Enhanced cryo–electron microscopy promises to bring previously elusive proteins into view.