Learning the tricks of the job, part III

The last step of my scientific training took part mid-September in Berlin, at the Freie und Humboldt Universitaten zu Berlin. Dr Gabriele Armbrecht and Frank Touby greeted me and taught me about the Bone-Health study, which focuses on the mechanisms of neuromuscular function deterioration and bone loss. Various factors could explain this expected degradation. In Concordia, our physical activity outside will be limited by the extreme cold temperatures (as well as the hypoxia); most of our moves will be confined to the station itself. We risk developing deficiencies in vitamin D, not benefiting from exposure to sunlight for many months. Other deficiencies could arise from relying on frozen and dried food for a lengthy period. Finally, the stressful environment itself could have repercussions on the bone and muscle systems via metabolic and hormonal pathways. I learnt about techniques quite novel to me, such as bioelectrical impedance, a muscular testing platform, or a simplified version of a scan. Once again, I took the opportunity to explore the city, all the while thinking that in a few months I would not have as much freedom to move around!