Kai Rasmussen — May 1st 2017
It’s natural for people to worry about the future. Our generation worries about things that are especially pressing: climate change, overpopulation, destruction of habitats, etc. These issues are concerning, but I am continually amazed at how fast we respond to these problems. Science moves quickly; so quickly we often take it for granted. A hundred… Read More
Kai Rasmussen — Apr 2nd 2017
Today, I headed over with members of the Gilroy Lab to the UW Health Sciences Learning Center to participate in Science Expeditions 2017. Science Expeditions is a public event where different researchers around the University present their work. Our focus for the day was plant cell biology and microscopy, but we talked about astrobotany research… Read More
Kai Rasmussen — Mar 23rd 2017
A new paper has been released by scientists in China studying changes in gene expression in the model organism Arabidopsis Thaliana. This experiment used special biological hardware called SIMBOX (Science in Microgravity BOX) to fly plants aboard the Shenzhou 8 Spacecraft (November of 2011). It is understood that a spaceflight environment alters gene expression compared… Read More
Kai Rasmussen — Feb 23rd 2017
On 2/22/17 NASA announced news that their Spitzer telescope had discovered a seven planet system around TRAPPIST-1, a nearby star. TRAPPIST-1 is around 40 lightyears away, in the Aquarius constellation. Three of these planets are in the CHZ (Circumstellar Habitable Zone) which holds the promise of liquid water and consequently the ability to support life.… Read More