As human activity in space continues to increase, understanding how biological assets
respond to spaceflight conditions is becoming more important. Spaceflight conditions …

For those aiming for deep space travel, ionizing radiation is an important problem (Durante
and Cucinotta, 2011). As one travels beyond Earth's protective gas atmosphere and …

The pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans produces melanin within its cell wall for
infection and resistance against external stresses such as exposure to UV, temperature …

Melanin is a ubiquitous pigment with unique physicochemical properties. The resistance of
melanized fungi to cosmic and terrestrial ionizing radiation suggests that melanin also plays …

Cryptococcus neoformans can synthesize melanin from a variety of substrates, including L-
dopa (l-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine). Growth in minimal medium with L-dopa resulted in …

Cryptococcus neoformans is a free-living fungus that is primarily found in soils contaminated
with avian excreta. Recent studies have shown that C. neoformans can synthesize melanins …

Certain fungi thrive in highly radioactive environments including the defunct Chernobyl
nuclear reactor. Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans), which uses L-3, 4 …

While studying the interaction of Cryptococcus neoformans with Dictyostelium discoideum,
we noticed that yeast colonies in agar with a feeder lawn of Klebsiella aerogenes were …

Kombucha microbial community (KMC) produces a cellulose-based biopolymer of industrial
importance and a probiotic beverage. KMC-derived cellulose-based pellicle film is known as …

Whether terrestrial life can withstand the martian environment is of paramount interest for
planetary protection measures and space exploration. To understand microbial survival …