Media archive

Trade summary of a Cancer Cell study finding that BAF mutations can drive follicular lymphoma progression yet increase sensitivity to experimental BAF inhibitors, with clinical trials in planning.

Nature's interactive feature presenting the Space Omics and Medical Atlas, a compendium of data, protocols and code from over 100 institutions, including samples from the first all-civilian orbital crew.

Cem Meydan, Weill Cornell Medicine, Meydan Lab

Describes the June 2024 package of 44 papers in Nature journals, drawing on four civilian Inspiration4 crew, that builds a baseline for understanding how spaceflight affects human biology beyond professional astronauts.

Pre-launch era reporting on how commercial spaceflight, with a more diverse set of travelers, will give medical researchers new data on how the human body adapts to space, framed around Inspiration4.

Rewritten UK-focused article on kidney findings from over 40 human and mouse missions, with UCL researchers warning of kidney shrinkage after under a month in space and possible Mars risks.

Release saying short-term spaceflight causes many molecular and physiologic changes of long missions, mostly reversing within months, and announcing a large multi-institution atlas with over 75 billion sequences and a biobank of nearly 3,000 samples.

The SOMA team, including co-corresponding author, Dr. Cem Meydan, an assistant professor of computational biology research in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, also has compiled more than 75 billion genetic sequences in an interactive atlas accessible to o…

Previews the Inspiration4 crew's planned health research, with blood, sleep and genetic data gathered on the three-day orbital trip to inform future missions and medicine on Earth.

University news story reporting that brief commercial spaceflight reproduces many long-mission molecular changes that mostly reverse after return, and that the team built a shared atlas and sample repository.

The SOMA team, including co-corresponding author, Cem Meydan, an assistant professor of computational biology research in medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, also has compiled more than 75 billion genetic sequences in an interactive atlas accessible to o…

Reports that the four Inspiration4 crew appeared genetically younger in some measures during the three-day flight, but briefly, as three papers detailed fast, profound effects of space on the body.

AFP report on dozens of papers using data from four SpaceX tourists, finding that spaceflight changes bodies in many ways but most changes revert within months after returning to Earth.

Reports that short-duration space tourists showed some of the same physical changes seen in long-stay astronauts, which largely resolved after return; cites an outside expert on implications for future missions.

Turkish-language article on an FDA-authorized LAMP COVID-19 test that is cheap and returns results in about 30 minutes without special equipment, tied to subway microbiome mapping work in New York.

Dr. Cem Meydan of Weill Cornell Medicine, who works on the LAMP test, said the new test shows within 30 minutes whether the virus is present.

Release on a Nature Communications study presenting two rapid diagnostic tests, an RNA sequencing host/pathogen platform and spatial tissue mapping as alternatives to RT-PCR, used to map early New York infections.

Institutional overview of Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian COVID-19 research, including work to map virus hot spots and other basic and translational projects launched in the first months of the pandemic.

Weill Cornell announcement of a $2 million Citadel gift to fund a trial of an antimalarial drug for protecting health workers and the rollout of a rapid COVID-19 test.

Describes how MetaSUB researchers swab transit kiosks, benches and other surfaces in cities worldwide to detect SARS-CoV-2 and build models that could give early warning of outbreaks, including a 15-city effort.

Describes a Nature Communications study from Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian presenting RT-LAMP and viral RNA capture sequencing as alternatives to RT-PCR, plus RNA sequencing and spatial tissue mapping of SARS-CoV-2.

Turkish-language podcast episode describing a new coronavirus test, the city microbiome map project, and a site collecting COVID-19 data.

Dr. Cem Meydan of Weill Cornell Medicine described the new coronavirus test, the microbiome map of cities, and a site that collects COVID-19 data.

Covers New York scientists swabbing the subway for SARS-CoV-2 as part of the MetaSUB consortium, and the idea of tracking viral presence in the city's shared built environment.

Reports two preprints, one from Weill Cornell and one from the Technion, showing LAMP can give a simple, inexpensive, single-tube COVID-19 test, and explains how the method works.

Genetic Literacy Project piece on 'microbe maps': swabbing subways, ATMs and park benches to locate coronavirus hot spots in New York (archived copy).

Recorded talk by Dr. Meydan in TÜBİTAK's Biological Sciences Seminar Series on transcriptomic, spatial and viral characterization of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

University story on Cell studies showing spaceflight, COVID-19 and high-altitude climbing provoke similar stress responses, with mutation and immune maps that could inform protection of space travelers.

…ne and NewYork-Presbyterian patients with cancer and other conditions like COVID-19 to help match them with personalized therapies. That work led Cem Meydan, a senior staff scientist in Mason’s lab, to a startling discovery: Many of the stress signatures seen in astronauts were similar to COVID-19 patients. For example, an immune system protein cal…

Research highlight of the Cell paper integrating multi-omics data from NASA GeneLab and 59 astronauts, implicating mitochondrial stress as a central driver of spaceflight risk, partly confirmed using Twins Study data.

Covers a Cell study analyzing data from mice, cell lines and 59 astronauts in NASA's GeneLab, suggesting mitochondrial dysfunction as a shared driver of spaceflight's varied bodily effects.

Cell Press landing page for a special collection of spaceflight biology papers, from NASA and international collaborators, covering radiation, microgravity, astronaut samples and multi-omics standards, and preparation for Mars missions.

Reports a Cell study using multi-omics data from 59 astronauts and GeneLab samples, finding that gravity changes and radiation can impair mitochondria, linking to geriatric-like health issues.

University press release highlighting its researchers' role in a Cell paper tying mitochondrial damage in spaceflight to astronauts' aging-like problems, with nutrition support such as coenzyme suggested.

Early report of preliminary Twins Study results showing spaceflight strongly shifts gene expression, with thousands of genes changing quickly once in space, per the study's principal investigator.

Weill Cornell feature on early Twins Study results, highlighting surprising telomere lengthening in space that reverted on return, the one-subject limitation, and optimism about longer missions.

…longer, though they reverted to normal after he came home. Why? Researchers don’t yet know. “We need to do a lot more science on this,” says Dr. Cem Meydan, a research associate in the Dr. Mason Lab and a co-first author on the Science paper. “We need to find out why this is happening, and whether we can prevent it or study it for other health-rel…

Covers publication in Science of the final Twins Study results, finding unusual immune and eye effects but nothing that rules out longer missions such as Mars, with Kelly largely recovering.

Reports the first Twins Study results in Science: Scott Kelly's 340 days on the ISS, compared with his twin on Earth, give the first solid evidence of how the body responds to long spaceflight. Mostly good news for a trip to Mars, with some open mysteries.

NASA announcement of the combined Twins Study paper in Science, presenting ten teams' findings as reassuring about the body's adaptation and a stepping-stone toward Mars-length missions.

Weill Cornell release reporting that longer spaceflight causes more gene-expression change than shorter trips, especially in immune and DNA-repair systems, from one of ten NASA Twins Study teams.

…ories, collected in Houston the samples of Scott’s blood that he sent back to Earth. She analyzed them within 36 hours, working remotely with Dr. Cem Meydan and Daniela Bezdan, both research associates in computational biomedicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Long-form reprint of Carl Zimmer's account of the Twins Study, describing Scott Kelly's molecular changes in orbit including mutated DNA, new immune signals and a changed microbiome, many of which reversed.

Frames the Twins Study as vital for planning Mars missions, describing how Mark Kelly served as an Earth-based genetic control to isolate effects of microgravity, radiation and confinement on Scott.

Turkish-language VOA feature on the NASA Twins Study of astronaut Scott Kelly, in which the researcher describes RNA and epigenetic work, rapid bodily adaptation to space, temporary telomere lengthening, and goals for follow-up work toward Mars missions.

Dr. Cem Meydan of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York played key roles in the experiments on astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space, and his twin brother Mark Kelly.

Turkish-language article on the large 2020 package of NASA spaceflight biology papers in Cell journals (29 studies, 200+ scientists), presenting it as a step toward lunar bases and Mars crews, with interview comments on the twins findings.

Dr. Cem Meydan: “Before such long missions, finding how the space environment affects biology and developing solutions to these risks is critical for astronaut health and mission success.”

Cornell Chronicle version of the release: Science cover findings include carotid and retinal thickening, weight loss, gut microbe shifts and DNA damage, with gene-expression change greater on longer trips.

…oratories, collected in Houston the samples of Scott’s blood that he sent back to Earth. She analyzed them within 36 hours, working remotely with Cem Meydan, a research associate in computational biomedicine who works in Mason’s and Melnick’s labs.

NASA Human Research Program profile of the Twins Study gene-expression team, which studied DNA and RNA methylation before, during and after spaceflight, led by Christopher Mason. The page has since been removed from nasa.gov; a saved copy is kept here.

Team members: Francine E. Garrett-Bakelman, M.D., Ph.D.; Ari Melnick, M.D.; George S. Grills, Ph.D.; Cem Meydan, Ph.D., Weill Cornell Medicine; Daniela Bezdan, Ph.D.

Explains how the twins' shared genes let researchers link differences to Scott Kelly's year in orbit, noting his temporary height gain and other changes that largely reverted afterward.

Turkish science site's write-up of the VOA video report on the NASA Twins Study, noting an 84-person team and that astronaut samples showed the body adapting quickly to spaceflight conditions.

A Turkish researcher is part of the 84-member scientific team studying the effects of spaceflight. Dr. Cem Meydan of Weill Cornell Medicine played key roles in the experiments on astronaut Scott Kelly and his twin brother Mark Kelly.

Trade report that spaceflight altered gene expression, telomere length and other measures in the NASA Twins Study, with most changes returning to normal after the astronaut came home.

Describes the team's 18-month swabbing of the entire subway as the first genetic profile of a city transit system, finding mostly harmless microbes plus traces of disease-linked bacteria and pizza-related DNA, and framing it as a preview of big-data public health.

Interactive graphic showing DNA from 15,152 species across 466 stations, nearly half bacterial and 67 disease-associated species, with station-level detail; no two stations were alike.

Recounts how a toddler's daycare habits inspired the 18-month PathoMap project across 466 stations, which yielded the first description of the subway's microbial residents and a reassuring yet unsettling picture of shared germs.

Weill Cornell release announcing the Cell Systems subway map as a baseline for long-term disease surveillance; microbes were mostly harmless but included drug-resistant bacteria and anthrax and plague DNA fragments.

…t maps that detail what organisms are present in each area of the city, creating a molecular portrait of the metropolis," says co-lead author Dr. Cem Meydan, a postdoctoral associate at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Explains that the Cell Systems study identified 15,152 organisms across 466 stations, including traces of plague and anthrax, and that the subway carries a record of what commuters eat, such as pizza.

Reports the PathoMap of 637 known microbes, mostly harmless skin-type bacteria, with about 12 percent disease-associated and nearly half of samples showing unseen DNA; the college called results reassuring.

Local broadcast summary of the subway map across 24 lines in all five boroughs, noting mostly harmless DNA (cheese, sauerkraut) alongside drug-resistant bacteria and fragments tied to anthrax and plague.

Explainer arguing readers should not panic over the subway findings, since bacteria are everywhere and needed for life; reports nearly 600 species identified, half from unidentified sources.

Graphic-focused piece summarizing the sampling of all subway stations (over 1,500 samples) and the resulting molecular map, noting traces such as ocean-type bacteria at the Sandy-flooded South Ferry station and food-derived DNA.

Science Friday video about an artist who sampled subway bacteria to test the handrail-handshake legend and photographed the cultures; it credits the Mason Lab, PathoMap and MetaSUB.

Briefly reports the PathoMap Cell Systems paper on New York subway microbes: 1,400+ samples, over 15,000 species detected, and nearly half of the DNA matching no known organism.

Profile of the early effort to map New York's subway microbiome, in which students collected over 1,400 samples from 468 stations and found diverse, station-specific bacterial communities.

Brief early item on the then-ongoing PathoMap effort, which had logged 137 bacterial types on five subway lines since June, with the lead researcher joking about the L train.