WE HAVE to remember that humans are explorers, and that’s how cultures develop and discoveries are made.

So says Dr Saralyn Mark. And in her case, these explorations have included the question of how the human body reacts to life in space. But while the lessons learned from research benefit astronauts, they also shed light on what happens to bodies going about their daily business.

“We’re learning so much about how the human body adapts”, she says. “On the International Space Station, we have the opportunity to learn more and more and that’s very exciting.”

Dr Mark visited the North East for a three-day tour this week which included visits to Sedgefield’s NETPark and The International Centre for Life in Newcastle.

She saw the work of projects such as Life’s educational project LifeLab, and talk about technology developed in the County Durham technology park, such as printed electronics and the ability to develop cultures in 3D rather than in flat petri dishes.

“I’ve had a golden opportunity to see what places like NETPark are fostering, and what the various partnerships are building”, she says.

The trip was organised by NETPark organisers, the County Durham Development Company, as part of the ommunity outreach programme Project C.

Dr Mark is an expert in women’s health. She was the first senior medical adviser to the Office on Women’s Health at the Department of Health and Human Services and to NASA, as well as the author of Stellar Medicine: A Journey Through the Universe of Women’s Health.