Humans have explored space beyond Earth’s atmosphere for over half a century. When astronauts explore the vast area of outer space, they need to wear high-tech spacesuits to protect them from the dangerous conditions of the universe.

A spacesuit is made up of nearly a half dozen different components(部件) and can have up to 16 layers, according to NASA. From start to finish, it can take up to four hours for an astronaut to dress up, said Cathleen Lewis, leader of international space programs. Before going on a spacewalk, astronauts must check each piece of equipment and make sure they have enough important supplies, such as oxygen and water.

The astronauts on the Artemis missions, NASA’s next program to send the first woman and the first person of color to the moon, will wear the latest spacesuit, known as xEMU. One of its main components is the cooling garment, said Richard Rhodes, leader of xEMU pressure garment development at NASA. The garment is made of tubes that circulate water around the astronaut, regulating body temperature and removing extra heat as they complete their work. Each spacesuit has a portable life-support component, which includes a water tank for the cooling garment, carbon dioxide removal system and more.

The original spacesuits used during the Apollo missions were less flexible than the ones today. Fortunately, spacesuits have come a long way since then and have a more flexible structure. On the outside of a spacesuit, there are colored stripes(条纹)unique to each suit. This is how astronauts can tell who is in each suit when out in space, Lewis said. This tried-and-true system will be used for the Artemis spacesuits.

Rhodes said the biggest challenge for the Artemis suits is making sure they are upgraded for lunar exploration. The suits need to be “light enough to support the lunar mission and strong enough to protect the astronaut while working in the very hazardous lunar environment,” he said.

When delivering medications to patients, one of the most effective methods is direct injection into the bloodstream using a needle. Now, researchers from China and Switzerland have designed a needle-free alternative: a tiny, drug-filled cup that sticks to the inside of the cheek like an octopus sucker (章鱼吸盘). The device is easily accessible, can be removed at any time and prevents saliva (唾液) from dissolving the drug, which gets absorbed through the lining of the inner cheek.

“Oral delivery is really kind of a holy grail,” says Arturo Vegas, a chemist at Boston University. “It’s still the preferred form of administration for patients… which means higher compliance, better outcomes for the patient, less adverse effects overall.”

Usually, delivering drugs through the dense, inner cheek tissue is not very effective. But the suction cup stretches the cheek, creating a larger surface area for the drug to pass through.

To test the design, the team 3D printed their rubber, 1.1-by 0.6-centimeter suckers. They loaded each with the diabetes drug desmopressin and stuck them inside the cheeks of three beagles (小猎兔犬), which have similar inner cheeks to humans. For comparison, they also delivered the drug to beagles via a pill and via injection. After three hours, the team found that drug plasma concentrations in dogs with the patch were more than 150 times higher than in the dogs that took a tablet.

“We were really impressed by the level of absorption that we would get with such a simple system,” said Jean-Christophe Leroux, a co-author of the study. However, the oral patches were less effective than drugs delivered via injection.

The team further tested the patches by filling them with the drug semaglutide, which has molecules (分子) four times larger than desmopressin does. After 30 minutes, they found that beagles with the patch had a similar amount of semaglutide absorbed by the bloodstream as those that took a tablet.

Though the patches need further testing to determine how repeated use affects patients, the researchers conclude that their technique is “non-invasive, simple and readily self-applicable by patients”.

Cambry Nelson is paralyzed (瘫痪的) and has used a wheelchair for years. Still, she didn’t let it stop her from exploring the areas she could get to in her chair, but it came at the expense of some serious shoulder pain. Wanting to help Cambry live life to the fullest, her husband Zack created a DIY off-roading wheelchair.

The chair was made from two electric bikes put together with a seat in the middle. The thick tires ( 轮胎) made it easy for Cambry to move over uneven ( 不平坦的) ground and the fact that it was electric left her arms feeling a lot less painful.

The couple discovered that the chair cost much less (while most off-roading wheelchairs “cost as much as a car,” their chair cost around $4, 000) and had more power than a lot of off-roading wheelchairs on the market. So, they decided to make a business of it.

They call it “Not A Wheelchair.”

It’s designed to fit through (most) doorways as well as to fit into the back of a truck, jeep, or small SUV when it breaks down. As for power, it can go about 12 mph and has enough battery (电池) life to last anywhere from 10 to 35 miles. It also has specially designed space to hold whatever you may want to take along with you on your journey.

When ordering your chair, you get to customize it with your favorite color! Even better? It’s made out of bike parts so you don’t need to take it to a special repair shop if it is in need of repair.

Cambry said, “There are things I’ve never done before and things I stopped thinking about doing because at one point I thought I couldn’t,” and that the chair Zack made her completely changed her attitude. Since taking it off-road, she said, “I like to think it’s just more proof (证明) that difficulties can always be dealt with. Sometimes it just takes a new idea, a creative mind, and a lot of perseverance.”