Scientists race to use zero gravity to kill the worst cancers

A 2020 space mission wants to use zero gravity to disable some of the hardest cancers to fight.

Left: U.S. Air Force photo/Heidi Hunt). Right: Source Dr. Raowf Guirguis. National Cancer Institute
  • An Australian research mission, launched in 2020 by Elon Musk's SpaceX, will study effects of zero gravity on four cancers.
  • Other missions with similar objectives are set to launch in 2022 aboard the new China Space Station.
  • In earlier experiments, scientists found that microgravity can kill cancer cells.
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Who is leading the private space race?

The space station sector has exciting potential as more private companies enter the conversation.

  • The International Space Station is the most expensive public project ever built in the history of humanity.
  • Companies like NanoRacks, SpaceX, and Blue Origin have already entered the conversation of what the future will look like for the ISS.
  • Now, it's important to entertain only the serious contenders in the space race.
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Why would NASA outsource missions to SpaceX?

When it comes new PR disasters, NASA isn't taking any risks.

  • Tragedies at NASA, such as Challenger and Columbia disasters, have impeded the organization from taking risks, critics say. Indeed, in terms of PR, these tragedies were particularly baleful.
  • Although NASA was once a contractor, its staff spearheading missions, today they are more a client. SpaceX is basically selling NASA a ride to the ISS.
  • Essentially, NASA has put the risk on private companies — if anything bad happens, it's on SpaceX, for example. This switch may better further space colonization goals, though, because the private sector has more flexibility, in terms of how business is conducted. Also, NASA, as a national entity, avoids the pall of a possible disaster.
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Musk vs. Bezos: Whose philosophy will get him to space first?

The billionaires are both looking to the stars, but each has a different dream for space colonization.

  • The billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are driving the private space sector, however, they both have different motivations and goals for doing so.
  • For Musk, space colonization is a matter of saving the human species — having a Plan B. For Bezos, he believes Earth can be saved and transformed into a "residential only" zone. Goods from industrial manufacturing would be outsourced from space colonies.
  • One big concern regarding Bezos' plan is whether his company's presence in space would someday constitute a monopoly of extraterrestrial industry.
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Elon Musk warns 'advanced A.I.' will soon manipulate social media

Musk also said that "anonymous bot swarms" should be investigated.


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  • On Thursday, Musk tweeted about the potential dangers of advanced A.I. manipulating social media.
  • It's unclear what prompted Musk to tweet about advanced A.I., but his tweets came hours after The New York Times published an article about digital disinformation campaigns.
  • Musk has a history of being rather pessimistic about the future of A.I.
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