Here’s 7 things the International Space Station taught us in 2021

The International Space Station is the world’s most extreme and expensive scientific laboratory. In its more than 20 years of operations it has housed thousands of experiments, providing fascinating insights into the effects of microgravity on the human body, cultured cells or various materials and chemical processes. Here are the most interesting findings that the space station delivered in 2021.

1. Spaceflight improves the ability of stem cells to regenerate 

Stem cells are sometimes seen as the holy grail of future medicine. Capable of almost endlessly regenerating and turning themselves into all sorts of cells, stem cells are abundant in young bodies but lose their vigor as we age. There are various types of stem cells. Those found in embryos, also called the pluripotent stem cells, can give rise to all kinds of cells in the human body. But stem cells exist in adult bodies too, ensuring the ability of various organs to repair themselves.