Mauve, the pioneering new model from King’s-linked Blue Skies Space, will deliver space science data straight to the global scientific community. 

Space missions pose unique challenges to the human body: microgravity and increased radiation exposure alter fundamental biological processes, particularly in immune, nerve, and muscle cells. Against the backdrop of the federal government’s Hightech Agenda and the Science Year 2026 – Medicine of the Future, a project at TU Dresden is now bringing into focus how space biology can drive medical innovation. The ILLUMINATE research project, which is part of the Cellbox program of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), is investigating how liver tissue reacts to microgravity and cosmic radiation. For the first time, mouse liver organoids – lab‑grown mini models of the liver – are being examined under both real and simulated space conditions. The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is funding the experiment with EUR 280,204 for the period from November 1, 2025 to October 31, 2028.

Researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, have resolved a long-standing debate about the strength of the Moon’s magnetic field. For decades, scientists have argued whether the Moon had a strong or weak magnetic field during its early history (3.5 - 4 billion years ago). Now a new analysis – published today (26 February) in Nature Geoscience – shows that both sides of the debate are effectively correct.