2/13/2017 Astronaut Twin Study Shows How Hard Space Is on the Body | Smart News | Smithsonian

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AstronautTwinStudyShowsHowHardSpaceIsonthe
Body
Thestudysfirstresultssuggestthatspacetravelcancausechangesonthe
molecularlevel

(NASA)

ByBrigitKatz
smithsonian.com
February1,2017

Between2015and2016,NASAastronautScottKellyspent340consecutivedaysinspacewhilehisidenticaltwinbrotherMark,
aretiredNASAastronaut,remainedfirmlyplantedonEarth.Thepairwereparticipatinginagroundbreakingstudythatallowed
scientiststostudytheimpactofspacetravelonthebodycriticalknowledgeforsendingastronautsonincreasinglylong
missions.

ResearchersarefinallyreportingtheinitialresultsoftheaptlynamedTwinsStudy,whichsuggestthatextendedtimeinorbitcan
resultinsubstantialchangestothehumanbodyrightdowntothemolecularlevel.

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2/13/2017 Astronaut Twin Study Shows How Hard Space Is on the Body | Smart News | Smithsonian
AsAlexandraWitzereportsforNature,NASAtookarangeofbiologicalsamplesfromtheKellybrothersbefore,duringand
afterthespacemission,testingeverythingfromthemicrobiomesintheirgutstothelengthoftheirDNA.BecausetheKelly
brothershavealmostidenticalgenomesandsimilarlifeexperiences,Witzewrites,researcherswereseekingoutdifferences
betweenspaceboundScottsbiologicalsamplesandthoseofgroundbasedMark.

Thestudydid,infact,revealinterestingchanges.WhileScottwasinspace,histelomeresthecapsontheendsofchromosomes
grewlongerthanMarks.ThetelomeresreturnedtotheirpreflightlengthshortlyafterScottreturnedtoEarth,butthefindings
wereneverthelesssurprising.

Telomeresshrinkasapersonages,explainsRaePaolettaforGizmodo,andscientistshadpreviouslybelievedthatthestressesof
spaceflightcausedthemtoshortenatafasterspeed.Sucherodingtelomerescanleadtohealthdefects,makingitcrucialto
understandtheeffectsofspaceontelomeres.

Telomeresizewasnttheonlydifferencetheresearchersidentified.ScottsDNAmethylation,achemicalmechanismthat
controlsgeneexpression,decreasedinactivitywhilehewasinspace.Methylationactivityisimpactedbythingslikedietand
sleeppatterns,anditshiftsallthetimeinpeopleonthegroundMarks,infact,increasedduringtheperiodofstudy.Butthe
changeinScottsDNAmethylationseemedatypicallylarge,perhapsbecausehewassubjectedtotheatypicallyharshconditions
ofspacetravel(freezedriedfood,changingsleeppatterns,exposuretomicrogravity,andsoon).

ThefullresultsofNASAstwinstudywontbereleasedforanotheryear,andscientistsdontyetknowwhythechangesin
Scottsbiologyoccurred.AsNASAscientistJohnCharlesputitduringanewsbriefing,thedataanalysisisonlynowbeginning
inearnest."

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2/13/2017 Astronaut Twin Study Shows How Hard Space Is on the Body | Smart News | Smithsonian

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