After late events , we ’re all ready to hop aboard the next flight to Mars . But before us Earthlings embark on aseven - monthjourney to the Red Planet , we need to understand how the harsh conditions of space can strike our bodies .
gratefully , astronautsScott and Mark Kellyhave volitionally volunteered themselves as mental testing matter for NASA , which has been studying the span since they ’ve turn back from their several voyages in space : the identical twin brothers are the subject of a10 - part investigationto understand the impact of outer space travel on the consistency . investigator collected stock samples and other biological materials while the twins were both on Earth and in ambit , and are now comparing them for the aptly - namedTwins Study .
While thefull resultsof the Twins Study probably wo n’t be eject foranother year or two , the first findings are now in . Samples lead before , during and after Scott Kelly ’s most recent missionary work — in which he spent 340 24-hour interval in space—“reveal[ed ] change in gene expression , deoxyribonucleic acid methylation and other biological markers , ” Naturereports . According to the team of scientists conduct the study , these modification are “ probable to be attributable ” to Scott ’s extended stay in space . The squad demonstrate their preliminary findings on January 26th at ameeting of scientistsworking in NASA ’s Human Research Program in Galveston , Texas .
“ The greatest grandness of the study is to show that we can do it , ” team member Andrew Feinberg , a geneticist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore , tell . “ I do n’t think people realized it would be so easy to do genomics on astronauts in infinite . ”
While “ prosperous ” is a debatable path of identify these run , they ’re definitely thoroughgoing — and revealing .
As superposable twins , the crony are genetically very interchangeable . However , research worker bump that while he was in orbit , Scott ’s telomere — the pileus on the end of chromosomes — grew longer than his twinned chum ’s . Though Scott ’s telomere returned to their pre - flight lengths shortly after he returned to Earth , these results were altogether unexpected , since telomere naturally shrivel over the course of one ’s lifespan , and the stresses of space travel are imagine toaccelerate this . At least that was the theme .
“ That is incisively the opposite of what we thought , ” Susan Bailey , a radiation biologist at Colorado State University , toldNature .
John Charles , main scientist at NASA ’s Human Research Program , say scientists are interested in telomer length during space travel because their erosion could cause health defects during long - term mission . It is critical to understand these potential wellness risks before transmit spaceman on long voyages , such as one to Mars .
Even though Scott ’s telomeres miraculously lengthened , this is still worth look back .
“ It ’s of import to appreciate that telomere lengthen is not always a good matter , as telomere lengthening is also associate with some disease outgrowth and pathologies , ” Charles severalize Gizmodo . “ That is not the case in this instance , however . ”
https://gizmodo.com/two-key-things-scott-kellys-body-will-teach-us-about-li-1761543707
Another mystery in these results involves deoxyribonucleic acid methylation — a process in which methyl group are added to DNA molecules tocontrol factor expression . researcher found that this process decreased while Scott was in ambit , but increase in Mark over the same full point of metre .
“ Methylation is how the gene turn off the section that do not necessitate to be copied , ” Charles say Gizmodo . “ assess changes in methylation is a agency to document how dynamic the gene is in different circumstances and to shape which sections of the gene are not being read and transcribed because the body does not ask the protein encoded in those surgical incision . These measure aid us understand how the eubstance responds to spaceflight factor at the level of the factor . ”
Scientists observed more spectacular shifts in cistron manifestation in Scott , who has spend more time in space—520 mean solar day total — than his comrade . These shifts could be attributed to the harsh weather ( for example consume freeze - dried intellectual nourishment , changes in quietus patterns , exposure to microgravity . ) Now , the researcher will turn their attention to nailing down what precisely is cause molecular change to pass off .
“ If the Kellys had not been choose as astronauts , then NASA might still be on a slower route to embracing genomic inquiry , ” Charles said .
forecast out how the human organic structure responds to long - terminal figure space travel is a lot of work , but someone ’s get ta do it . peculiarly if we want that big cat settlement on Mars I ’ve beendreaming about .
[ Nature ]
NASAScienceSpace
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