FRANCE: A long-awaited human mission to the Red Planet is still many years away, with NASA planning their first manned voyage in the 2030s. At more than 55 million kilometers away, astronauts face at least half a year of space travel just to get to Mars — not to mention the return journey. Their health in space is of chief concern.
Scientists in Germany are using advanced imaging technology in a bid to understand one unusual phenomenon — why astronauts’ skin gets thinner while in space. Led by Professor Karsten Koenig from the Department of Biophotonics and Laser Technology at Saarland University, researchers have used high-resolution skin imaging tomography to look into the skin cells of several astronauts before and after a trip into space.
The developers of the laser technology say the spatial resolution is a thousand times higher than that of ultrasonic devices — unmatched by any other product. It also has the potential, Koenig says, to revolutionize diagnoses in hospitals.
“We use femtosecond laser pulses. We scan the skin and get signals from it, particularly fluorescence, as well as another signal called second harmonic generation. So with these two signals we can build up images and get a precise look into the skin with a high resolution,” said Koenig.
Pakistan to get $3b loan from Islamic Trade Financing Corporation
ISLAMABAD: Islamic Trade Financing Corporation (ITFC) to provide Pakistan with a $3 billion loan, according to an official statement released...
