First results on Scott Kelly after year in space reveal space travel changes DNA

Space Link

Space travel, it turns out, does more than make us weightless, it can even make the ends of your chromosomes bigger. The first results of a study delving into the impact space travel has on a person's body were released Monday. Appropriately named the Twins Study, the research looks deep into the effect galaxy travel had on astronaut Scott Kelly compared to his identical twin brother and former astronaut Mark.

Telomeres, which have been associated with chromosome stability and longevity seem to get longer when in space, could lead to new paths of research in life extension and long distance space missions.

Twins provide great research opportunities, but twin astronauts is like a scientific jackpot.

We will see what else the data has to say as the year goes on, hopefully

- Scott's telomeres on the ends of his chromosomes in his white blood cells lengthened while in space. Researchers said it could be attributed to increased exercise and his reduced calorie intake during flight. The telomeres shortened when he returned. Talomeres typically decrease in length as a person ages.
- The study found the level of chemical DNA modification slowed while in space but then returned ot normal when returning to Earth.
- Scott's cognitive abilities in speed and accuracy slowed just slightly after the mission.
- Scott's bone formation slowed during the second half of his trip. Also, there was a spike in inflammation right after landing, which could be because of the stresses of re-entry.
- The study determined a stress hormone was "low normal" throughout the trip but increased over the course of the expedition. The study said the hormone, linked to bone and muscle health, was, "likely impacted by heavy exercise countermeasures during flight."
- Two dominant bacterial groups were more prevalent in Scott when he was in space versus when he was on Earth

a reply to: dashen

Great article good data what happens if someone has a baby in space and the child grows up there would the child be an alien

Weightless labor - trend of the future!! Way better than water birth. Plus you get an astronaut midwife.

Very cool find - thanks for posting!

originally posted by: Themaskedbeast
a reply to: dashen

Great article good data what happens if someone has a baby in space and the child grows up there would the child be an alien

If our ancient ancestors originate somewhere other than Earth, does that make us aliens?

Maybe they were eating food with coconut oil as the oil in it. That would increase telomere length. Barley in a energy bar would do that too.

I loved his character in Lost. Didn't realize he was an astronaut too.

Now that's an interesting story, now my mind starts pondering what the implications are traveling deeper into space with in mind close to lightspeed travel?

Would an astronaut live longer when for instance travel to Mars and come back on earth or would his DNA suddenly aging back to normal.

And would we become older on planets with lower gravity at the other had if groups of bacteria are becoming more dominant as our antibodies can resist we would die earlier on other planets due to new diseases ?

Somehow it's not that strange , crystals also grow taller in space.

Maybe the key why Alien visitation from other planets are impossible or for just a small time frame..

a reply to: Jay Electronica

Your implying that maybe we originally didn't come from Earth but from somewhere else? The fact that our telomeres became longer wonder makes me wonder if Earth wasn't humanity's natural habitat.

a reply to: BiffWellington

maybe a joke, but you maybe mistaken him for Terry O'Quinn (john locke).
does bear a slight resemblance though.

How can this be while Kelly has been on Earth hanging in a harnas and wires. Maybe the harnas has been sqeeuzing off one of his testicles which resulted in a change in his DNA.

Really confusing all this nasa news... when what to believe..

a reply to: Themaskedbeast

No....

Alien is a word which, in the sphere of establishing whether a child is a member of the human race, and therefore a product of the planet Earth, regardless of location of conception or birth, cannot be used to describe a baby born to human parents, of their DNA. This would differ if any part of the DNA structure that was composed to bring about the little one in question, was provided by a non-human, but as long as both parents are human, location of conception and birth are irrelevant.

Put another way, humans born in space, on The Moon, Mars, or anywhere in the entire universe, will always be called human beings, not aliens.

originally posted by: zatara
How can this be while Kelly has been on Earth hanging in a harnas and wires. Maybe the harnas has been sqeeuzing off one of his testicles which resulted in a change in his DNA.

Really confusing all this nasa news... when what to believe..

So this astroNOT has returned from the international FAKE station

a reply to: khnum

I hope you are joking.

You have the right to an opinion, but no right to you own reality.

You would think the telemores would shorten, due to increased radiation right?

Is something on earth causing telemores to shorten. It is an important component of aging.

a reply to: TrueBrit

whatever you wish to believe is fine with me and yes I have a right to my own reality its called free will

a reply to: jellyrev

Its far too early in such experimentation and research to say, but it is not entirely unreasonable to suggest, that perhaps the effort of keeping ourselves upright, the effort of fighting gravity to stand up, actually does a certain amount of fatigue damage to the telomeres, damage which does not occur outside a gravity well. Could be an interesting route of research, perhaps?

Just a thought.

a reply to: TrueBrit



Plausible but also is diet, exercise regimen and even the atmospherics of the space station playing a role.

A small pilot study shows for the first time that changes in diet, exercise, stress management and social support may result in longer telomeres, the parts of chromosomes that affect aging.

www.ucsf.edu...

a reply to: dashen

Good catch. F&S&

Wonder what the relationship is between the higher bacterial count and the longer telomeres on the immune cells.

Be nice to get some of the old data too. And not just for the astronauts, but also the techs and other personnel who went into space.