Rachel Carlson

You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Hey, Short Wavers, Regina Barber here. And Rachel Carlson. With our biweekly science news roundup featuring Juana Summers of All Things Considered.

Yep. Plus, we're talking about fermenting food in space and what it does to its taste.

Yep. Plus, we're talking about fermenting food in space and what it does to its taste.

Yep. Plus, we're talking about fermenting food in space and what it does to its taste.

I'm intrigued, y'all. All that on this episode of Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

I'm intrigued, y'all. All that on this episode of Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

I'm intrigued, y'all. All that on this episode of Shortwave, the science podcast from NPR.

And after marathons, they saw that myelin decreased in the runners' brains, especially in the areas of the brain that are important for things like motor coordination, like how we move our bodies, and sensory processing. So after a marathon, there's less myelin. Is that a bad thing?

And after marathons, they saw that myelin decreased in the runners' brains, especially in the areas of the brain that are important for things like motor coordination, like how we move our bodies, and sensory processing. So after a marathon, there's less myelin. Is that a bad thing?

And after marathons, they saw that myelin decreased in the runners' brains, especially in the areas of the brain that are important for things like motor coordination, like how we move our bodies, and sensory processing. So after a marathon, there's less myelin. Is that a bad thing?

But there are some neurological diseases where myelin decreases and doesn't return to normal. Carlos thinks studying runners could help us better understand these disorders, like multiple sclerosis.

But there are some neurological diseases where myelin decreases and doesn't return to normal. Carlos thinks studying runners could help us better understand these disorders, like multiple sclerosis.

But there are some neurological diseases where myelin decreases and doesn't return to normal. Carlos thinks studying runners could help us better understand these disorders, like multiple sclerosis.

Another neuroscientist in the field, Yannick Poitelot, Told us the kind of scans the researchers took makes it hard to say, like, for sure that running caused the change in myelin. But he says that this study was really exciting. It's one of the first to show that human myelin could be used as an energy source. And he thinks it could inspire lots of new work in the field.

Another neuroscientist in the field, Yannick Poitelot, Told us the kind of scans the researchers took makes it hard to say, like, for sure that running caused the change in myelin. But he says that this study was really exciting. It's one of the first to show that human myelin could be used as an energy source. And he thinks it could inspire lots of new work in the field.

Another neuroscientist in the field, Yannick Poitelot, Told us the kind of scans the researchers took makes it hard to say, like, for sure that running caused the change in myelin. But he says that this study was really exciting. It's one of the first to show that human myelin could be used as an energy source. And he thinks it could inspire lots of new work in the field.

Yeah, it was miso. Okay, the paste created from like fermented soybeans or grains. It's used a lot in Japanese cooking. And part of the study is in service of astronaut nutrition. Like how do we make their diets more delicious, more nutritious, more diverse?

Yeah, it was miso. Okay, the paste created from like fermented soybeans or grains. It's used a lot in Japanese cooking. And part of the study is in service of astronaut nutrition. Like how do we make their diets more delicious, more nutritious, more diverse?

Yeah, it was miso. Okay, the paste created from like fermented soybeans or grains. It's used a lot in Japanese cooking. And part of the study is in service of astronaut nutrition. Like how do we make their diets more delicious, more nutritious, more diverse?

So how did this miso make its way into space? Well, Juana, it almost didn't. I spoke to Maggie Koblenz and Josh Evans, who published their study in the journal Ice Science this week. And Josh reminded me that, like most fermented things, have a really strong smell. And this fact almost stopped them from getting the experiment into space.