Let’s introduce to our audience Dr. Carlo Saverio Iorio! Who are you? If you had to describe yourself in 1 sentence, what would you say?

I am a Space scientist. Whatever flies in outer Space, I am in! 

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What are the most 

A- Fascinating research 

B- Impactful research 

C- Fun and whimsical research           

You are leading these days? 

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‍Fascinating research: We are developing an AI tool to detect stress and mood disturbances affecting astronauts during long-duration missions in an isolated environment, such as the International Space Station. The software will trigger an early warning alert and avoid catastrophic incidents due to lack of attention or fatigue.

Impactful research: Our biological group is growing lung organoids in simulating microgravity. The effects of microgravity and, in future missions, of lunar dust on the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are undoubtedly enabling knowledge to develop future and futuristic human outposts in Space.

Fun and whimsical research: Do you know that astronauts prefer crunchy food? And cooking in Space is extremely difficult because ingredients are floating and convection is absent. Well, with the support of recognized chefs, we are creating crunchy cookies to feed even the most demanding astronauts!

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Microgravity makes objects float in Space…but how can we utilize it on the Earth to manufacture new materials?‍

Microgravity conditions are not only about floating, although the absence of sedimentation is one of the significant aspects in manufacturing materials from solutions or mixtures of different densities. Microgravity changes the relative importance of capillarity versus gravity, an essential aspect in melting, combustions, foaming, and sprays. Also, microgravity changes the whole set of heat and mass transfer phenomena because thermal convection is absent or strongly reduced. Quasi-diffusive states are paramount in manufacturing new materials. For example, many experiments have demonstrated the significant advantages of growing crystals in microgravity conditions in terms of purity, size, and defects.

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Ouch, every human has faced painful wounds…but how is the process of their healing different in Space?

I have coordinated one of the most significant European Space Agency projects on wound healing and monitoring. Healing in Space is an emerging hot topic for several reasons, including the rapid spread of commercial space flights. In Space, wound healing dynamics change at different interconnected levels. Fibroblasts, for example, have presented altered gene expression in microgravity and a reduced capacity to produce collagen, a crucial protein composing the extracellular matrix. Also, immune cells could be dysregulated when exposed to the space environment, impairing the capacity of the body to manage inflammations and infections. The cosmic radiation in Space can undoubtedly exacerbate inflammation processes and be responsible for tissue damage. Finally, microgravity also alters the environments around the wounds by altering fluid distributions and mechanical balance, an occurrence that creates dysfunctions in the signaling pathways between cells. There are many problems, indeed, but there are many opportunities for materials scientists to develop dressings, drug delivery systems, and sensors for monitoring wound status. 

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AI…AI…AI…is AI doing anything useful in your field as a materials scientist?

Indeed! And in different ways. Materials are now increasingly designed to have specific properties, and AI tools help discover, classify, and select the material candidates with the biggest potential for a given application. Space exploration is a material science saga. Even now, we lack materials capable of resisting the intense cosmic radiation for long-duration missions, shielding astronauts' suits while being lightweight and wearable, and enabling technologies in propellent-less propulsion or planetary habitat creation and mobility.  

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If you could design an experiment without any limitations of time or money… what would it be? 

I would invest in a propulsion system allowing to travel interplanetary distances in a human lifetime.

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If you could have a superhero power. What would it be?

The power of persuading people that our petty differences on Earth are nothing compared to the aggregate value of humankind towards the most significant challenges facing our and future generations.

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Mystery dinner party…Dead or Alive, who would be the 3 guests you would invite to your dinner party?

Zina, the (next) president of the United States, the secretary of the United Nations. 

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If you could leave a question for the next guest, what would that be? 

What do you think about humans becoming an interplanetary species? 

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If you could clone a person from the past with the same intellectual characteristics, who would that be?

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.