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IPFS News Link • Drugs and Medications

Why Is NASA Developing Nasal Spray For The Masses?

• http://www.popsci.com, By Krislyn Placide

You probably have some of NASA's inventions lying around your house. Memory foam? Check. Water filters? Yep. Smoke detectors? Thank NASA for that, too. The space agency has perfected the science of transforming astro-tech into everyday goods. Its latest innovation? Nasal spray.

NASA is developing a nasal spray version of Scopalamine, a drug for treating motion sickness. Motion sickness occurs when the central nervous system gets conflicting messages from the other systems. Usually, the inner ear detects motion when the eye doesn't, or vice versa. The current prevailing theory is that your brain then decides you're hallucinating from the poison of your choice (or blunder) and then proceeds to purge said poison. Now imagine all of that going on--but in space.

NASA is trying to commercialize the nasal spray for astronauts, for the Department of Defense, and for general use. Intranasal Scopalamine, or Inscop, has worked faster and more reliably than the oral form of the drug in NASA's tests.


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