Four astronauts got genetically younger during a three-day space trip, a study has found.
Crew members aboard Inspiration4, the first all-civilian space mission, underwent medical testing during the trip.
The mission was undertaken in September 2021, with a study released this week (11 June) detailing the effects.
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While in the modified Crew Dragon Resilience space capsule, the mission’s chief medical officer and trained physician assistant, Hayley Arceneaux, took blood samples and skin swabs of herself and crewmates.
Following their return to Earth, testing commenced on the samples – and, incredibly, researchers observed indications that the aging of DNA decreased in space, making the crew members DNA appear younger and healthier.
Markers, known as telomeres, are caps that protect chromosomes that are known to shorten with age and due to environmental factors, and stress.
These markers indicated the aging decrease in the four crewmembers, with the telomeres getting longer during the mission – meaning they were genetically younger.
Scientists are now working to understand how the environment affects human DNA, which can be detected in markers in blood after only a few hours in orbit, reports Luxury Travel Daily.
Similar studies have previously been conducted with astronauts during longer duration space travel, but the Inspiration4 trip offered the opportunity to study the earliest stages.
A team previously observed telomere lengthening in NASA astronaut Scott Kelly following a one-year stay in orbit in 2015.
But to see similar effects on crew members following a far more brief period of time in space was unexpected, according to scientists.
Susan Bailey, a professor of radiation cancer biology and oncology at Colorado State University who led the research, commented: “It’s really a remarkable finding in a number of ways and helps us solidify our findings.”
Researchers theorise the elongation of the telomere is triggered as a protective response to the exposure of higher radiation levels in space, with similar effects measured in mountain climbers scaling the world’s highest peaks.
However, after the astronauts’ return to Earth, the telomeres shrink almost immediately and even initially get shorter than they were before the flight – something researchers hope to be able to control in the future.
The shortening of telomeres can lead to DNA damage and make people susceptible to diseases including cancer, heart disease and immune system deficiency, though research suggests healthy diet and restorative practices can help the caps recover.
Other signs of aging were observed by the Inspiration4 crew, including increased markers for bone and muscle loss, and brain stress – however all of these returned to pre-flight levels within six months.
Arceneaux said she was “happy to be able to contribute to science” and said it was “very important” for all of the crew members.
The study also found that female crew members recovered faster from the effects of the spaceflight.
The data will be part of an open-access astronaut biological data repository, the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA), a database that researchers hope this will enable them to select people genetically best suited to space travel in future.
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