Engineering Humans for Deep Space with Ronke Olabisi

About This Episode

What happens to the human body in deep space? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore tissue engineering, Wolverine & Deadpool’s healing style, and the science that could help humans adapt to long-term space travel with biomedical engineer Ronke Olabisi.

We talk about the 100 Year Starship Project and the importance of attempting the impossible. We beg the question: if we lived our whole lives on a spaceship, what would we need? What questions have we not thought to ask? Ronke explains the basics of tissue engineering and its important role in preparing humans for long term space travel. 

What happens if you need a heart transplant or suffer severe burns while on a mission to Mars? Learn the possibilities of tissue engineering in space. Find out about how we could grow organs and bones, and even heal wounds, without scarring. We dive into mechanical organs versus bioengineered ones to the idea of genetically upgrading space travelers. Plus, who’s healing style is more realistic: Wolverine or Deadpool? 

Could we bioengineer astronauts to withstand the rigors of space? Learn about the effects of microgravity on bone density, and the mysterious ways space affects our eyesight. Could we make humans resistant to radiation? Could we one day see a future where humans are specifically engineered for life in space? Join us as we explore the boundary between science fiction and science fact.

Thanks to our Patrons Micheal Morey, Kristoff Vidalis, Adir Buskila, Yanir Stein, Randombot38, James Komiensky, Richard Clark, Daniel Helwig, Kayleigh Sell, and KENNY SMART for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.