SPACE/COSMOS
Jumping workouts could help astronauts on the moon and Mars, study in mice suggests
First-of-a-kind study hints at likely way to counter cartilage damage in long space journeys
Johns Hopkins University
video:
Close-up view of the custom-built apparatus to allow for precise control over jump height and frequency. The study corresponded to roughly five human years and mirrors a progressive overload approach used in human sports performance.
view moreCredit: CREDIT: Marco Chiaberge/Johns Hopkins University.
Jumping workouts could help astronauts prevent the type of cartilage damage they are likely to endure during lengthy missions to Mars and the Moon, a new Johns Hopkins University study suggests.
The research adds to ongoing efforts by space agencies to protect astronauts against deconditioning/getting out of shape due to low gravity, a crucial aspect of their ability to perform spacewalks, handle equipment and repairs, and carry out other physically demanding tasks.
The study, which shows knee cartilage in mice grew healthier following jumping exercises, appears in the journal npj Microgravity.
“Since the next step in human exploration of space is going to Mars and spending long periods of time in permanent bases on the moon, cartilage damage is a really major issue that space agencies need to address despite how very poorly understood it is,” said study author Marco Chiaberge, an astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and the European Space Agency. “The positive effect we saw in these mice is huge, and the magnitude of it was unexpected. They can basically make their cartilage thicker if they jump. Maybe astronauts could use similar training before their flight as a preventive measure.”
Healthy cartilage is essential for pain-free movement, as it cushions joints and decreases bone friction. But cartilage heals slowly and does not regenerate as fast as other tissue. Prolonged periods of inactivity—whether from bed rest, injury, or space travel—can accelerate cartilage breakdown. Space radiation can also accelerate this effect, and European Space Agency experiments have shown evidence of cartilage degradation in astronauts who spend several months aboard the International Space Station.
“Think about sending somebody on a trip to Mars, they get there and they can't walk because they developed osteoarthritis of the knees or the hips and their joints don't function,” Chiaberge said. “Astronauts also perform spacewalks often. They serviced the Hubble Space Telescope five times, and in the future, they will need to spend more time in space and the Moon, where we will build larger telescopes to explore the universe and where they will need to stay as healthy as possible.”
Previous research has shown that treadmill running may help slow cartilage breakdown in rodents. The new Johns Hopkins study adds to the evidence by demonstrating that jump-based exercise may prevent articular cartilage loss in knees and could actually improve cartilage health.
The researchers found that mice in a nine-week program of reduced movement experienced cartilage thinning and cellular clustering, both early indicators of arthritis. But mice that performed jump training three times a week showed the opposite effect—thicker, healthier cartilage with normal cellular structure.
The study found the mice with reduced movement had a 14% reduction in cartilage thickness, while those in the jump-training group had a 26% increase compared to a control group. Additionally, the jumping mice had 110% thicker cartilage than the reduced activity group.
Jumping also enhanced bone strength. The team found shin bones in the jumping mice had 15% higher mineral density. Trabecular bone—spongy bone tissue that absorbs impact—was significantly thicker and more robust.
“Leg strength is particularly important and most highly impacted by microgravity, so any procedures that can address multiple aspects of muscle deconditioning, and maybe even reduce the two-hour daily exercise requirement in space, would be most welcome,” said author Mark Shelhamer, a professor of otolaryngology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and former NASA Human Research Program Chief Scientist. “The same reasoning applies to bone integrity, including cartilage. There is increasing recognition of the importance of cartilage as a distinct component in bone integrity, and this study contributes to that understanding.”
While more research is needed to confirm whether humans would enjoy the same benefits, the findings offer promising information to protect cartilage and bone structure. Jumping exercises could be included in pre-flight routines to prepare joints for space travel, and specially designed exercise machines could help integrate similar workouts in space.
The study could help scientists explore how jump-based training might not only aid patients with arthritis but also boost cartilage health with generally applicable exercises, said author Chen-Ming Fan, a musculoskeletal biologist at Carnegie Science.
The researchers emphasized the need for further research to determine the ideal exercise volume and frequency for preserving and strengthening cartilage. Future work will also explore whether jump training could help reverse cartilage loss and whether the exercise could help astronauts restrengthen their cartilage and recover damage from space flight.
“Now that we got our first clue that one type of exercise can increase cartilage, which was completely unknown before, we could start looking into other types of cartilage. What about the meniscus? Could it also get thicker?” said Fan, who is also an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins. “This research could help performance-enhancement studies, rather than just focusing on pathological conditions, and help athletes or virtually anyone interested in doing the right exercises to improve their performance.”
Other authors are Neelima Thottappillil, Anderson Furlanetto, Dylan Odell, Christine Wang, Stephen Hope, Stephen Smee, Joseph Rehfus, Colin Norman, and Aaron W. James of Johns Hopkins; Anna-Maria Liphardt of Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität; Anja Niehoff of German Sport University Cologne; and Marc J. Philippon and Johnny Huard of Steadman Philippon Research Institute.
This research was supported by a Space@Hopkins Seed Grant and by the Carnegie Science Endowment fund.
Journal
npj Microgravity
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Animals
Article Title
Plyometric training increases thickness and volume of knee articular cartilage in mice
Article Publication Date
13-Feb-2025
MSU scientists discover new sources for ‘the molecule that made the universe’
Michigan State University
EAST LANSING, Mich. – From helping catalyze interstellar reactions and fueling the birth of stars to its presence in neighborhood gas giants like Saturn and Jupiter, trihydrogen, or H3+, is best known as the “the molecule that made the universe.”
While we have a clear picture of how the majority of H3+ is formed — a hydrogen molecule, or H2, colliding with its ionized counterpart, H2+ — scientists are keen to understand alternative sources of H3+ and to better measure its abundance throughout the cosmos.
Now, in a new paper appearing in Nature Communications, Michigan State researchers Piotr Piecuch and Marcos Dantus and their groups and collaborators have provided unprecedented insights into the formation of H3+ in compounds known as methyl halogens and pseudohalogens.
These findings follow previous breakthrough discoveries at MSU, including the formation of H3+ through a unique “roaming mechanism” in doubly ionized organic molecules.
Double ionization occurs when an atom or molecule is subjected to enough energy, say from a cosmic ray or laser, that it loses two electrons.
In their latest paper, the team observed a similar roaming mechanism in doubly ionized methyl halogens and pseudohalogens, uncovering an array of factors that govern the formation — or absence — of H3+ in these particular compounds.
These formation factors can be applied to a wide variety of other molecules, broadening the horizon for researchers looking to study the origins and formation of the molecules in the universe.
“H3+ is a small molecule that might not be as important to us on Earth as water or proteins, but it’s a molecule we truly want to understand in terms of its abundance in the universe, how it is produced, and how fast its chemical reactions are,” Piecuch said, a University Distinguished Professor and MSU Research Foundation Professor in the Department of Chemistry.
“With our findings, we can communicate with others who are looking for sources of H3+ and the molecules that can form it.”
Roaming the cosmos
Being “the molecule that made the universe” comes with high expectations, and H3+ certainly lives up to the name.
“H3+ is essential for astrochemistry, from the birth of stars to the formation of many organic molecules,” said Dantus, an MSU Research Foundation Professor in MSU’s Department of Chemistry.
With these crucial roles in mind, the Dantus Research Group had previously looked beyond the H2-meets-H2+ formation pathway in search of alternative sources of H3+. This earlier research led them to doubly ionize certain organic molecules, resulting in a surprising outcome.
Rather than immediately breaking apart, as might be expected when putting two positive charges in a small enough molecular space, a neutral hydrogen — H2 — was instead ejected from the molecule.
Like a dancer searching a ballroom for a partner, this H2 then “roamed” around the molecule until it plucked out an extra proton, forming H3+.
“We demonstrated that the hydrogen didn’t simply fly away, but it stuck around, sometimes for quite a long time,” Dantus added, who is also a University Distinguished Professor. “This was highly unusual.”
“It’s not the usual way of thinking about the behavior of doubly ionized molecules, but a much trickier process,” Piecuch said, comparing the roaming mechanism followed by proton abstraction by H2 to the traditional image of a doubly ionized molecule blowing apart due to repulsion of two positive charges — a process better known as a Coulomb explosion.
Turning their attention to halogens and pseudohalogens in their latest publication, Piecuch, Dantus and their colleagues have confirmed several more molecules that form H3+ through double ionization and, just as crucially, identified those that don’t.
The publication includes several movies showing how H3+ is formed in particular instances. These were prepared in collaboration with Professor Benjamin Levine at Stony Brook University and can be viewed by visiting the publication’s supplementary material.
These findings were achieved through a combination of ultrafast laser spectroscopy and cutting-edge computational chemistry, a balancing act of expertise between the two groups of Spartan scientists.
“What was quite special about this project — to bring it to fruition — was the use of state-of-the-art techniques from each side, including high-level theory and experimentation,” Piecuch added.
The hunt for H3+
In cracking the code on H3+ formation in halogens and pseudohalogens, the researchers have successfully created a set of governing factors allowing them to predict which organic compounds can produce H3+ through doubly ionized roaming — factors that Dantus and Piecuch say can be applied to a diverse array of other molecules, including many they did not study.
These guidelines are a powerful tool for fellow scientists who continue the search for alternative and perhaps surprising sources of H3+, such as molecular clouds in interstellar space.
“Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, so H2 meeting H2+ is still the key,” Dantus explained. “However, there are so many organic molecules in these diffuse molecular clouds that it’s possible a lot of H3+ is still being formed by the processes we’ve studied.”
When dealing with a molecule as ubiquitous as H3+, the discovery of its new sources can ultimately deepen our understanding of cosmic chemistry at all levels.
“Even if there are only a few percent more H3+ molecules in the universe because of the small organic compounds we and others have studied, the models that scientists use to study processes such as star formation may have to be revisited,” Piecuch concluded.
By Bethany Mauger and Connor Yeck
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Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for 170 years. One of the world’s leading public research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.
For MSU news on the web, go to MSUToday or x.com/MSUnews.
Journal
Nature Communications
Article Title
Factors governing formation from methyl halogens and pseudohalogens
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