Twin astronauts: one who has lived a year in the "aged" space more – 04/11/2019

NASA scientists were not sure what they would find once Scott Kelly met his twin brother Mark after almost a year orbit. Would I Scott Kelly under the influence of Benjamin Button and returns to younger Earth than his identical brother Mark?

The mission of the Kelly brothers was unprecedented. Twins and two astronauts from the US Space Agency, one of whom, Scott, spent 340 days on the International Space Station. All the while, his brother Mark stayed on the ground. Upon returning from Scott, the American astronaut, the researchers badyzed the evolution of his body in space. And for that, they had the best way to compare it: their identical brother Mark.

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Based on the preliminary results of these surveys, published in January 2017, Susan Bailey, a professor at Colorado State University, who studies telomeres (the "caps" at the ends of chromosomes), Largest health research on the Kellys and discovered that how Scott's telomeres in his white blood cells have been altered in space.

Telomere length changes may mean that a person is at risk for accelerated aging or diseases badociated with aging. Telomeres tend to be shortened with age.

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These results were the opposites What Bailey thought could happen and is confirmed in "The study of NASA twins: a multidimensional badysis of a space flight in the year," published this Friday by Science.

To study the telomeres of the twins, Bailey and his team received blood samples for 25 months, covering time intervals before, during and after the space flight. His team processed and badyzed the samples delivered from the space station by the Soyuz rocket.

"We were surprised, this was the first reaction said Bailey, when asked how he felt when he saw the first results. But that's science, is not it? "The results of this study have implications for astronauts and people who want to explore space in the coming years, through private companies, as humanity deepens." .

NASA has announced the project of a mission on Mars and a cis-lunar station (between Earth and Moon), which will provide new opportunities to study what happens to the human body during from an extended space flight.

Twelve universities, more than 80 researchers

Bailey's project was one of 10 surveys supported by 84 researchers from 12 universities, all coordinated by NASA's Human Research Program. Among the findings, the research teams found these data relevant:

– Scott experienced dramatic changes in the dynamics of telomere length, a biomarker that can help badess the health and potential long-term risks of spaceflight.

– 91.3% of Scott's gene expression level they have returned to normal or basic levels in the six months following his new landing on Earth (this does not mean that the rest of your DNA has been mutated, as reported by some stories published last year).

– the influenza vaccine administered in space, it worked exactly like on Earth.

– the changes in the diversity of intestinal flora Scott in the space were not more important than the stress-related changes observed by scientists on Earth.

– Good nutrition and exercises in space have resulted for Scott a decrease in body weight and an increase in folate, essential for the production of red blood cells.

Shorter telomeres, higher risk for health

Bailey stated that, from his point of view, "the most surprising discovery" is Scott's telomere modification in the space. In the space, they lay down – which could mean that they had "regenerated", but when they returned to Earth, it was reversed. And while most of his telomeres have returned to averages before flight, now he has more short telomeres than before the 340-day mission.

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"Have shorter telomeres puts a person at greater risk of accelerated aging "said Bailey. It also increases the risk of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.

"For us Earthlings, it's pretty similar," Bailey explained. "We are all anxious to get older and everyone wants to avoid cardiovascular disease and cancer, so if we can find out what's going on, what's causing these changes in telomere length, we might be able to slow down. It's something that would be beneficial for all"

A new survey

Bailey will continue his telomere research with NASA with a new project designed to answer questions about the health and performance of astronauts in long missions during a trip to the Moon and Mars.

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In this integrated project, will study 10 astronauts on a one-year mission, 10 on a six-month mission and 10 on a mission for two to three months at a time. Health data will be compared to people in the field who are isolated during the same periods.

"We are trying to determine if it is really something specific in the space flight that causes the changes we have seen," he explained.

NASA's human research program and space biology program have funded 25 proposals, all of which will contribute to the long-term plans of the space agency, which include human missions on the moon and on Mars.

Through these studies, NASA attacks five dangers of manned space travel: spatial radiation, isolation and confinement, distance from the Earth, gravity fields (or lack thereof), and hostile or closed environments that pose great risks to the human mind and body.