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 | Radio Series: Biomedical Science for Space
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Health Over the Horizon
Distance medicine has been around for most of this century. In the early days, doctors treated patients in remote locations via wireless radio and by sending diagnostic samples through the mail. Today, communication is done digitally, and it's called telemedicine. On an extended space flight, the need to consult, diagnose and deliver effective medical care when the doctor is far away from the patients is crucial. Scientists are developing hardware and software to facilitate this process. Whether it's a case of analyzing blood samples for medical diagnosis when a problem occurs during a three-year voyage to Mars or installing a microchip inside the body to measure vital signs, telemedicine is revolutionizing medical care in space.RealMedia's free RealPlayer is needed to listen to this clip.
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