How can you make medicines in space? It's a difficult question, since many medicines we enjoy on Earth use chemicals that come from plants, and space is nearly devoid of plants' basic needs: soil, water, oxygen and sunlight. At the same time, any realistic chance for future space exploration is going to require a way to treat illnesses without making a potentially months-long trip back to Earth.
John D'Auria, an assistant professor in the Texas Tech University Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been instrumental in helping solve that problem in a way that also has more immediate ramifications here at home.
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