S01 → Blue Dot/White Tangerine
From the Microscope to the Telescope
Built as a dual entity, Blue Dot/White Tangerine (BD/WT) emphasises the importance of putting things in perspective and conducting research at different scales. From the microscope to the telescope, from our pale blue dot* to the white moon; this system challenges us to wonder, question, hypothesise, and dig into the not-always-linear steps of research processes in order to highlight the unknown and the not-so-well-understood.
Most BD/WT research projects incarnate this desire to understand the diverse, sometimes surprising, mechanisms of human physiological and psychological adaptation in remote and extreme environments. Extreme environments on Earth usually refer to locations or conditions that are hostile, challenging, or unusual in terms of their physical, chemical, or biological characteristics. From this viewpoint, the space environment appears to be a unique laboratory where the boundaries of the human capacity to adapt (and maybe evolve?) are significantly pushed. Its distinctive characteristics, such as radiation and microgravity, in addition to the fact that space embodies isolation and confinement as its paroxysm, offer exciting perspectives to study human systems. And hopefully, it will help us pave the way for safe, successful, and sustainable journeys among the stars.
*Carl Sagan — Pale Blue Dot
AXIS
I. Daniel Berreto — Painting with the light of the moon
II. Anna Chekourova — The Sun with the flight (March, 19 2023)
III. NASA — The moon by the Apollo 15 crew
IV. CZI Neuroscience (Angel Barco) — Labeling of neuronal nuclei in the adult mouse hippocampus
V. NASA / JPL-Caltech / GSSR / NSF / GBO — (Asteroid 163899) 2003 SD220
VI. Aeronautical Chart Information Center — Lunar Chart Series: LAC-25 Cassini
VII. Allen Institute — A mysterious brain region: the claustrum
VIII. Instituto Cajal / Consejo Nacional de Investigación — Santiago Ramón y Cajal neurons’ drawing