ABOVE: International Space Station
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After nearly a year in orbit above the Earth on the International Space Station, astronaut Scott Kelly experienced extensive physiological changes, according to a study published today (April 11) in Science. Among them: gene expression, telomere length, cognitive performance, microbiome composition, retina thickness, and metabolite production.
For the most part, the alterations reversed within six months of Kelly coming back to Earth. “I think it’s reassuring to know that when you come back things will largely be back to the same,” coauthor Michael Synder, the director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, said at a press conference, according to Gizmodo.
However, a number of changes remained. Among the genes with altered activity, 9 percent remained abnormal. Kelly also experienced lengthened telomeres while in space, which shrunk quickly once he came back to Earth, but some telomeres overshot their reductions.
It’s unclear ...
