In reality, these space-traveling mice in the story had been scientifically altered to have beefed-up muscles, as part of a study aboard the International Space Station. The experiment they participated in was called Rodent Research-19. It studied myostation and activin, the molecular signaling pathways that can influence muscle degradation, according to NASA. Astronauts always experience muscle and bone loss on extended space missions, so researchers have been studying ways to prevent this, as well as help physical recovery efforts once astronauts return to Earth.
The experimental mice splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in a SpaceX capsule on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
HOP TO IT: This week, pretty steady background noise at MPA is the annual Games Done Quick marathon broadcast. Annabelle can tell you more about it.
Games Done Quick is an organization dedicated to raising funds for charity through ‘speedrunning’, the art of exploiting and perfecting the way one plays a certain video game in order to complete it in the shortest time possible. Games Done Quick has two major events during the year and other smaller ones between; Awesome Games Done Quick, which usually occurs in early January; and Summer Games Done Quick, which is held in July. These events regularly raise over 1 million dollars for cancer research and similar causes, all given by members of the public watching the weeklong non-stop livestream. Games Done Quick can be viewed for free on the Twitch website, and ends this Saturday.TROUBLING: Living in Seattle, you have a front row seat to thousands of humans in misery, living outdoors. Sidewalks, underpasses, greenbelts, parks, you name it, there are tents and shacks and people living in them.
There is unending talk about how to solve the "homeless" problem, and millions of dollars are thrown at the situation, with no perceptible improvement. One of the biggest problems regarding solving the issue is it really isn't primarily a housing issue, IMHO.
Yes, the cost of housing is astronomical in Seattle and its surrounds, and yes, there are way too many people who simply can't afford shelter. That is, indeed, a homeless issue.
However, regarding the city campers seen around Seattle, housing affordability doesn't really seem like it's the actual crux of the problem. The majority of the people living chronically on the streets seem to be there due to addiction and/or mental health issues. This is a problem years-in-the-making, with no simple or easy solutions.
Study after study has shown the advent of opioids has had a tremendously negative affect on the size and health of the homeless population. That sad fact is in addition to a terribly inadequate system for dealing with people in mental health crisis, 'thanks' to cruel cutbacks reaching back to the Reagan administration.
Yesterday, I came across an important article in Psychiatric Times, "Dungeons and Back Alleys: The Fate of the Mentally Ill in America." By Dr. Allen Frances, professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Psychiatry at Duke University, it is a bleak and very real recount of how we got to a place county jails are now the biggest providers of psychiatric care for people suffering from severe mental illness. (Let that sad fact sink in for a moment.)
Dr. Frances is retiring, and he says his career is ending on a sour note. He proposes a "moon-shot mentality" toward meaningfully treating mentally ill patients. One bit of encouragement he offers is his belief that "it doesn’t require rocket science or new research. We have known for 50 years how to provide good care for severe mental illness." It's mainly about switching priorities, he contends. I hope people are listening. This is an issue that affects all of us.
I highly recommend his article: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/article/dungeons-and-back-alleys-fate-mentally-ill-america/page/0/1?fbclid=IwAR2MimE65DtHx60mpdoZkx61q6iTzAxWR3cIYaGpUQcITSIVfGMB6M2tlXA
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