Astronaut Study Shows Some Lasting Changes from Time in Space

Scott Kelly’s physiology, gene activity, and mental performance changed after time aboard the International Space Station, but mostly returned to normal once back on Earth.

kerry grens
| 2 min read
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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 ...

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Meet the Author

  • kerry grens

    Kerry Grens

    Kerry served as The Scientist’s news director until 2021. Before joining The Scientist in 2013, she was a stringer for Reuters Health, the senior health and science reporter at WHYY in Philadelphia, and the health and science reporter at New Hampshire Public Radio. Kerry got her start in journalism as a AAAS Mass Media fellow at KUNC in Colorado. She has a master’s in biological sciences from Stanford University and a biology degree from Loyola University Chicago.

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