Daily Archives: February 18, 2024

Secrets of Night Parrot unlocked after first genome sequenced – CSIRO

Posted: February 18, 2024 at 10:06 am

14 February 2024 News Release

Researchers at CSIRO, Australias national science agency, have sequenced the first genome of the Night Parrot, one of the worlds rarest and most elusive birds.

The development will answer questions about population genetics and biology that could boost conservation hopes for the recently rediscovered species.

The genome will enable us to explore the genetic basis of why the Night Parrot is nocturnal, a very unusual feature in parrots. Well investigate faculties like navigation, smell, beak shape and its less-than-optimal night vision, Dr Leo Joseph, Director of CSIROs Australian National Wildlife Collection said.

Researchers will also be able to run statistical analyses on the genome of this individual to estimate past population sizes of Night Parrot populations in Australia.

Now, we have the capability to compare this annotated genome with other, closely related parrots, shedding light on the reasons behind its scarcity and limited distribution compared to many of its relatives.

CSIRO researchers sequenced the Night Parrot genome its genetic blueprint using tissue obtained from Dr Kenny Travouillon, Acting Curator of Ornithology at the Western Australian Museum, after Traditional Owners in the Pilbara found the deceased specimen and delivered it to the Museum Boola Bardip.

The specimen, which is the best-preserved on display in the world, is now open to public viewing at the WA Museum Boola Bardip.

Dr Gunjan Pandey, who led the Night Parrot genomics project, said access to high-throughput DNA sequencing technology under CSIROs Applied Genomics Initiative is accelerating genomics research in Australia.

We can now generate very high-quality genomes from really tiny tissue samples even as small as an ants head or a single mosquito, Dr Pandey said.

This level of quality and detail just wasnt possible even five years ago.

The genetic data can be used to ensure conservation programs maximise diversity, so the species is resilient and has the best chance of long-term survival.

Once more widespread in arid Australia, the Night Parrot declined due to environmental changes such as predation by cats and foxes.

It is now known only from localised parts of southwest Queensland and Western Australia.

A couple of dozen scientific specimens were collected during the nineteenth century and one in 1912. Then a specimen was found in 1990 in southwest Queensland, Dr Joseph said.

Live birds were reported from the same area in 2013, and a live parrot was finally caught and tagged in 2015.

While the Night Parrot genome is an exciting scientific resource to understand more about this bird, protecting the species from cats, foxes, fire and habitat loss is also crucial for their conservation.

The Night Parrot genome will open up numerous opportunities for further research to help conserve this species, Dr Pandey said.

This will empower scientists to develop a plan for saving the Night Parrot, which is the ultimate goal of sequencing the genome and making it publicly available.

Note to editors

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) annotated the genome sequence of the Night Parrot (Pezoporus occidentalis). The locations of individual genes were found using NCBIs Eukaryotic Annotation Pipeline (EGAP). The annotated genome is now available online as part of the NCBI Reference Sequence (RefSeq) Database through NCBI Datasets.

CSIRO together with the Threatened Species Initiative, supported by Bioplatforms Australia, will continue genetic studies to understand more about the Night Parrot and other closely related birds such as the Eastern Ground Parrot.

CSIROs Applied Genomics Initiative (AGI) uses high throughput sequencing technology to deliver reference genomes and large-scale diversity datasets for new insights and applied outcomes.

The genome was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore technology at the Biomolecular Resource Facility (BRF) at the Australian National University (ANU). BRF is a service node of Bioplatforms Australia which is made possible through investment funding provided by the Commonwealth Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). The AGI has successfully assembled over 100 genomes across diverse life forms in recent years, and many of these annotated genomes are accessible to the publicvia GenBank .

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CRISPR gene editing tool gets a revolutionary high-tech upgrade – Earth.com

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In the realm of scientific innovation, the past decade has seen the CRISPR/Cas systems emerge as a groundbreaking tool in genome editing, boasting applications that span from enhancing crop yields to pioneering gene therapy.

The recent advent of CRISPR-COPIES by the Center for Advanced Bioenergy and Bioproducts Innovation (CABBI) marks a significant leap forward, refining CRISPRs flexibility and user-friendliness.

CRISPR-COPIES represents a cutting-edge solution designed to swiftly pinpoint ideal chromosomal sites for genetic modification across any species.

It will accelerate our work in the metabolic engineering of non-model yeasts for cost-effective production of chemicals and biofuels, explains Huimin Zhao, a prominent figure at CABBI and the University of Illinois.

The essence of gene editing lies in its ability to precisely alter genetic codes, enabling the introduction of novel traits such as pest resistance or enhanced biochemical production.

While CRISPR/Cas systems have facilitated targeted genetic modifications, the challenge of identifying optimal genomic integration sites persisted as a significant bottleneck, often involving cumbersome manual screening and testing processes.

Enter CRISPR-COPIES, the Computational Pipeline for the Identification of CRISPR/Cas-facilitated Integration Sites.

This innovation transforms genome-wide neutral integration site identification into a rapid, efficient process, taking mere minutes to accomplish what once was a daunting task.

Finding the integration site in the genome manually is like searching for a needle in a haystack, said Aashutosh Boob, a ChBE Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois and primary author of the study.

However, with CRISPR-COPIES, we transform the haystack into a searchable space, empowering researchers to efficiently locate all the needles that align with their specific criteria.

The versatility and efficiency of CRISPR-COPIES were showcased in a study published in Nucleic Acids Research, demonstrating its application across various species to enhance the production of valuable biochemicals.

Moreover, the creation of a user-friendly web interface makes this tool accessible to researchers with limited bioinformatics background, democratizing the advanced capabilities of CRISPR/Cas systems.

A primary goal of CABBI is to harness non-model yeasts for the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels from plant biomass.

Traditional genome-editing techniques, hindered by their labor-intensive nature and the scarcity of genetic tools, posed significant challenges to this endeavor.

CRISPR-COPIES addresses these issues by offering a streamlined approach for the rapid identification of stable integration sites, thereby facilitating the engineering of strains for enhanced biochemical yields and crop traits.

This innovative software is poised to significantly accelerate the strain construction process, offering a boon to researchers worldwide in both academic and industrial settings.

By simplifying genetic engineering tasks, CRISPR-COPIES not only saves time and resources but also opens new avenues for the development of transgenic crops and the efficient conversion of biomass to valuable chemicals.

In summary, CRISPR-COPIES stands as a monumental advancement in the field of genetic engineering, offering researchers a powerful and accessible tool for precision genome editing.

By streamlining the identification of optimal genetic integration sites, it accelerates the pace of scientific discovery and innovation while advancing new possibilities to address some of the most pressing challenges in agriculture, biofuel production, and gene therapy.

As this technology continues to evolve and become more integrated into various fields of research, CRISPR-COPIES promises to drive forward the boundaries of whats possible.

This new technology gives the world with a significant leap towards a future where genetic engineering can be conducted more efficiently, accurately, and with greater impact than ever before.

The full study was published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

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Ancient retroviruses played a key role in the evolution of vertebrate brains – EurekAlert

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image:

A myelinating oligodendrocyte(green)

Credit: Peggy Assinck, Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science

Researchers report February 15 in the journal Cell that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelinand, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or retrotransposon is essential for myelin production in mammals, amphibians, and fish. The gene sequence, which they dubbed RetroMyelin, is likely a result of ancient viral infection, and comparisons of RetroMyelin in mammals, amphibians, and fish suggest that retroviral infection and genome-invasion events occurred separately in each of these groups.

Retroviruses were required for vertebrate evolution to take off, says senior author and neuroscientist Robin Franklin of Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science. If we didnt have retroviruses sticking their sequences into the vertebrate genome, then myelination wouldnt have happened, and without myelination, the whole diversity of vertebrates as we know it would never have happened.

Myelin is a complex, fatty tissue that ensheathes vertebrate nerve axons. It enables rapid impulse conduction without needing to increase axonal diameter, which means nerves can be packed closer together. It also provides metabolic support to nerves, which means nerves can be longer. Myelin first appeared in the tree of life around the same time as jaws, and its importance in vertebrate evolution has long been recognized, but until now, it was unclear what molecular mechanisms triggered its appearance.

The researchers noticed RetroMyelins role in myelin production when they were examining the gene networks utilized by oligodendrocytes, the cells that produce myelin in the central nervous system. Specifically, the team was investigating the role of noncoding regions including retrotransposons in these gene networkssomething that hasnt previously been explored in the context of myelin biology.

Retrotransposons compose about 40% of our genomes, but nothing is known about how they might have helped animals acquire specific characteristics during evolution, says first author Tanay Ghosh, a computational biologist at Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science. Our motivation was to know how these molecules are helping evolutionary processes, specifically in the context of myelination.

In rodents, the researchers found that the RNA transcript of RetroMyelin regulates the expression of myelin basic protein, one of the key components of myelin. When they experimentally inhibited RetroMyelin in oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (the stem cells from which oligodendrocytes are derived), the cells could no longer produce myelin basic protein.

To examine whether RetroMyelin is present in other vertebrate species, the team searched for similar sequences within the genomes of jawed vertebrates, jawless vertebrates, and several invertebrate species. They identified analogous sequences in all other classes of jawed vertebrates (birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians) but did not find a similar sequence in jawless vertebrates or invertebrates.

Theres been an evolutionary drive to make impulse conduction of our axons quicker because having quicker impulse conduction means you can catch things or flee from things more rapidly, says Franklin.

Next, the researchers wanted to know whether RetroMyelin was incorporated once into the ancestor of all jawed vertebrates or whether there were separate retroviral invasions in the different branches. To answer these questions, they constructed a phylogenetic tree from 22 jawed vertebrate species and compared their RetroMyelin sequences. The analysis revealed that RetroMyelin sequences were more similar within than between species, which suggests that RetroMyelin was acquired multiple times through the process of convergent evolution.

The team also showed that RetroMyelin plays a functional role in myelination in fish and amphibians. When they experimentally disrupted the RetroMyelin gene sequence in the fertilized eggs of zebrafish and frogs, they found that the developing fish and tadpoles produced significantly less myelin than usual.

The study highlights the importance of non-coding regions of the genome for physiology and evolution, the researchers say. Our findings open up a new avenue of research to explore how retroviruses are more generally involved in directing evolution, says Ghosh.

###

This research was supported by the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Wellcome Trust, and the Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science.

Cell, Ghosh et al., A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon RNA mediated control of myelin gene expression https://cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00013-8

Cell (@CellCellPress), the flagship journal of Cell Press, is a bimonthly journal that publishes findings of unusual significance in any area of experimental biology, including but not limited to cell biology; molecular biology; neuroscience; immunology; virology and microbiology; cancer; human genetics; systems biology; signaling; and disease mechanisms and therapeutics. Visit http://www.cell.com/cell. To receive Cell Press media alerts, contact press@cell.com.

Experimental study

Animals

A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon RNA-mediated control of myelin gene expression

15-Feb-2024

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

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Natural selection and genetic diversity maintenance in a parasitic wasp during continuous biological control application – Nature.com

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Hopes elusive parrots genome will provide answers – news.com.au

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Kam Ghaffarian’s Moonshots – The New York Times

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Much of the American space program is run out of nondescript offices in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Thats where Kam Ghaffarian, the billionaire space entrepreneur, could be found on an auspicious day. Exactly 47 years before, he had immigrated to the United States from Iran. Mr. Ghaffarian, 66, sat at a table made of gently glowing white onyx, also from Iran.

Mr. Ghaffarian said he imported the stone because of its unique translucence when lit and because of the energy (spiritual, not physical) that the billion-year-old mineral emits. He is a big believer in the importance of meditating to connect with the energy in the universe, which he has done on a daily basis for decades.

When you touch it, you feel the energy of the stone, he said. How many years? Go ahead, touch it.

He was in the market for good energy. Just a few weeks later, Mr. Ghaffarians company tried to do something no private organization has ever done: Touch down softly on the surface of the moon.

Mr. Ghaffarian specializes in moonshots. His array of companies includes not just the one sending a lander to the moon, but also one building a space station to put in orbit around the Earth, another designing advanced nuclear reactors, a venture fund and a nonprofit studying faster-than-light travel technology. His projects are the kind that Silicon Valley frets about having given up on. They are bets on tangible technology, not software, where metrics like hits and clicks are replaced with the hard questions of physics.

And while bombastic billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have captured attention for their efforts to launch futuristic reusable rockets, the lower-profile Mr. Ghaffarians companies have helped answer the question of what to do with them, becoming crucial in the increasingly close partnership between NASA and private industry. SpaceXs key innovation has been building rockets that have brought down the cost of going to space. Mr. Ghaffarians firms are using those cheap rockets to commercialize space activity in ways that Mr. Musks SpaceX hasnt pursued, while Mr. Bezos Blue Origin has yet to reach orbit.

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Tiny robot’s successful first surgery could have huge implications for space travel – ReadWrite

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A tiny robot has completed its first surgery in zero gravity on the International Space Station, operated by surgeons approximately 250 miles away.

February 10 saw the first surgery demo on simulated tissue in the lab thats currently circulating in orbit on the ISS. Surgeons in Lincoln, Nebraska operated the remote-controlled robot, known as space MIRA (Miniaturized In Vivo Robotic Assistant), reports CNN. The robot was developed by a team at the University of Nebraska, led by Nebraska Engineering professor Shane Farritor.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket gave spaceMIRA a ride into orbit on January 30 from Floridas Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the robot arrived at the space station on February 1.

Looking forward, this could be a huge step forward for human space travel, offering the possibility to deliver complex medical procedures even when in orbit. It could also make a huge impact in establishing access to medical care in remote areas down on Earth too.

When it comes to space travel, journeying to other planets, like Mars, could take two years for a full round-trip. If medical emergencies happen during that time, this kind of technology could be life-saving.

Weighing just two pounds, spaceMIRA is about the same size as a microwave, making it the perfect size and weight to be well-suited for space travel. Part of the robot is inserted into the tissue to perform surgery, while using two arms to mimic the movements of a human surgeon.

It gives smaller hands and eyes to the surgeon (on Earth) and allows them to perform a lot of procedures minimally invasively, said Shane Farritor, cofounder and chief technology officer at Virtual Incision, the startup that created spaceMIRA.

One of the major challenges for remote surgery is a delay between commands from the surgeons and the robot, in situations where a one-second delay could prove fatal. spaceMIRAs delay is about 0.85 seconds, which didnt present many issues during these tests.

Five seconds would be an eternity in surgery, and a split second or a half a second is going to be significant. So, this was a big challenge, Dr. Michael Jobst, a colorectal surgeon who was part of the demonstration.

spaceMIRA is set to make its triumphant return to Earth in the spring.

Featured image: University of Nebraskas College of Engineering

Rachael Davies has spent six years reporting on tech and entertainment, writing for publications like the Evening Standard, Huffington Post, Dazed, and more. From niche topics like the latest gaming mods to consumer-faced guides on the latest tech, she puts her MA in Convergent Journalism to work, following avenues guided by a variety of interests. As well as writing, she also has experience in editing as the UK Editor of The Mary Sue , as well as speaking on the important of SEO in journalism at the Student Press Association National Conference. You can find her full portfolio over on Muck Rack or follow her on social media on X.

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Space Health Challenges and Innovations in Deep Space Travel – Medriva

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Healthcare innovations are not limited to the confines of Earth. As humanity reaches out to explore the vastness of space, a new paradigm in healthcare is being established. Astronauts in deep space face unique health challenges, from the effects of long-term exposure to space radiation to the psychological impact of isolation. Addressing these challenges has implications not only for the success of space missions but also for improving healthcare on Earth.

A key player in this field is Dorit Donoviel and her team at the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH). Their work involves conducting and funding a variety of experiments, including research into balance in microgravity and ways for astronauts to produce their own drugs in space. These investigations aim to address the human health challenges in exploring deep space, such as space radiation affecting the entire body, mental health issues, the ability to provide healthcare, and the stability of food nutrients. To this end, the team is exploring the idea of genetically engineering biological organisms to produce nutrients and medications on the spot.

In the pursuit of successful deep space missions, the human microbiome emerges as a crucial area of study. The unique conditions of space can disrupt the balance of the microbiome, leading to adverse health effects for astronauts. Astromicrobiology, which involves understanding microbial persistence and succession in closed systems like spacecraft, is integral to mission planning and execution. Furthermore, understanding the effects of radiation exposure in space is crucial for developing effective risk reduction strategies. The study of the microbiome in space also provides insights into how space travel impacts the immune system and opens avenues for discovering new microorganisms with unique properties.

The challenges faced by astronauts, such as space radiation, mental health concerns, and healthcare delivery, necessitate innovative solutions. TRISH, a consortium involving Baylor College of Medicine, Caltech, and MIT, is working with NASA to create solutions for these challenges. These include on-demand drug production in space and genetically modified organisms for sustainable food and medicine. Innovations such as a star-shaped device for medication delivery and strategies for psychological resilience are also being explored.

Dr. Jon Bailey, a regional anesthesia specialist, is paving the way for surgery and pain management in space. His research involves evaluating the viability of using ultrasound guided perineural injections to administer regional anesthesia in a simulated microgravity environment. This method could provide a safer way to control pain for astronauts, potentially revolutionizing healthcare delivery in remote and extreme locations, including military and rescue operations.

In conclusion, the advancements in space healthcare promise a paradigm shift not only in how we approach health in space but also how we address health challenges on Earth. The work done by researchers and organizations such as Dorit Donoviel, TRISH, NASA, and BCMSpaceHealth is paving the way for medical breakthroughs that could benefit all of humanity.

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Space Health Challenges and Innovations in Deep Space Travel - Medriva

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NASA is Done Setting Fires Inside its Doomed Cargo Spacecraft – Universe Today

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Fire on a spacecraft can be catastrophic. It can spread quickly in a confined space, and for trapped astronauts, there may be no escape. Its fading in time now, but Apollo 1, which was to be the first crewed Apollo mission, never got off the ground because of a fire that killed the crew. Thereve been other dangerous spacecraft fires too, like the one onboard the Russian Mir space station in 1997.

In an effort to understand how fire behaves in spacecraft, NASA began its Saffire (Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment) in 2016. Saffire was an eight-year, six-mission effort to study how fire behaves in space. The final Saffire test was completed on January 9th.

Fire behaviour in buildings here on Earth is well-studied and well-understood. Fire prevention and suppression are important components in building design. It makes sense to bring that same level of understanding to space travel and even to surpass it.

How big a fire does it take for things to get bad for a crew? asked Dr. David Urban, Saffire principal investigator at NASAs Glenn Research Centre. This kind of work is done for every other inhabited structure here on Earth buildings, planes, trains, automobiles, mines, submarines, ships but we hadnt done this research for spacecraft until Saffire.

NASA has conducted six experiments under Saffire, and each one was conducted in an uncrewed Cygnus cargo vehicle after it completed its supply mission to the ISS. The vehicles are sent into the atmosphere to burn up, and the experiments are run prior to the vehicles destruction. Saffire 1 ran in 2016 inside an avionics bay with an airflow duct. The bay contained a cotton and fibreglass burn blend, which was ignited remotely with a hot wire.

Subsequent Saffire experiments tested how different materials burned, including the fire-resistant fabric Nomex and even acrylic spacecraft windows. Tests also included varied oxygen flows, different atmospheric pressures, and different oxygen levels. Each Saffire test generated important data on how fire behaves inside spacecraft.

The final segment of the Saffire program, Saffire-VI, was conducted on January 9th, 2024, prior to the uncrewed Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft carrying the experiment burning up during re-entry. Saffire-VI was different than its predecessors in the program because the experiment had higher oxygen content and lower pressure similar to actual conditions in spacecraft.

The Saffire flow unit is a wind tunnel, said Dr. Gary Ruff, Saffire project manager at NASAs Glenn Research Center. Were pushing air through it. Once test conditions are set, we run an electrical current through a thin wire, and the materials ignite.

Fire in a confined environment does more than just damage things and burn people. It also generates harmful combustion by-products. Alongside the predictable carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, a fire onboard a spacecraft can generate trace amounts of hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen fluoride is a very toxic chemical, and exposure requires immediate medical attention. Hydrogen chloride is an irritant that can become fatal, and hydrogen cyanide can damage the brain, heart, and lungs and can also be fatal. A piece of equipment called the Combustion Product Monitor (CPM) instrument uses laser spectroscopy to analyze the contents of the smoke and detect these hazardous chemicals.

Cameras inside the experiment record what happens, while other instruments outside collect data. After the experiments collect their data, its downloaded before the Cygnus vehicle is sent plummeting toward its atmospheric destruction. By altering variables like oxygen content and flow and atmospheric pressure, the experiments gather data that the researchers use to build a predictive model of fire behaviour aboard a spacecraft.

Youve got a heat release rate and a rate of release of combustion products, Ruff said. You can take those as model input and predict what will happen in a vehicle.

At this point in time, humans are poised for a big leap. Were working towards establishing a presence on the Moon. From there, future crewed missions to Mars beckon. Researchers are studying how to protect astronauts health during those flights by understanding how their bodies respond to extended time in microgravity, exposure to radiation, and other hazards. Preventing fires and extinguishing them quickly are critical issues in spaceflight and astronaut safety, especially when astronauts are so far away theres no chance of any assistance.

The models built on Saffire data will help missions succeed and help everyone get home safely.

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NASA is Done Setting Fires Inside its Doomed Cargo Spacecraft - Universe Today

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‘The Space Race’ Review: Why Was NASA So White? – The New York Times

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The story of mans foray into space is a thrilling one, encompassing war, technological innovation and the power of imagination. The story of the Black mans foray into space the subject of the documentary The Space Race comprises a different set of milestones. For African Americans who dreamed of traveling beyond the earths atmosphere, the barriers werent just physical or scientific, but also social and political.

Directed by Lisa Cortes and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, The Space Race offers an alternative history of American space travel through interviews with pioneering figures including Ed Dwight, an Air Force captain who was the first Black trainee at the Aerospace Research Pilot School; and Guy Bluford, who became the first African American to go to space almost two decades later, in 1983.

But the films most fascinating revelation is that the Soviets beat the Americans in sending a Black person to space in 1980 with Arnaldo Tamayo Mndez, a Cuban pilot an achievement that never got its due during the Cold War.

This fact, mentioned only cursorily, reinforces the limitations of the movie (which also, it should be noted, features hardly any stories of Black women). A theme running through the interviews is that for the U.S. government, sending a Black astronaut to space was more a matter of propaganda than racial justice. Cortes and de Mendoza capture these contradictions through archival footage of Civil Rights leaders excoriating the nation for spending millions on space travel while poverty decimated communities on the ground.

But for the most part, The Space Race doesnt quite interrogate these tokenizing narratives, leaving the central question unaddressed: Can the glorified achievements of a few result in change for the many?

The Space Race Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes. Watch on Disney+ and Hulu.

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'The Space Race' Review: Why Was NASA So White? - The New York Times

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