Advances in Biology & Earth Sciences

In aviation human factors research, the development of non-invasive biological monitoring technologies has created exciting new avenues. It is becoming more widely acknowledged that saliva, a complex biofluid full of hormones, enzymes and biomarkers, is a potent diagnostic tool for evaluating fatigue, cognitive awareness and physiological and psychological stress - all of which are critical components of flight safety. The potential integration of saliva diagnostics in flight simulation environments to assess and improve pilot performance and decision-making is examined in this perspective article. We contend that saliva-based evaluations can offer personalized, real-time biological feedback to supplement behavioral and cognitive measures that are typically employed in human factors research. The combination of aviation simulation, salivary analytics and wearable biosensing presents a worthy opportunity to improve our comprehension of pilot preparedness and resilience. Finally, we propose a multidisciplinary framework that influences salivary biomarkers as part of an adaptive, biologically-informed training and safety ecosystem in modern aviation.