Andrea Lius in The Scientist:
According to Einstein’s theory of relativity, time passes more slowly in space. As a result, astronauts would experience a delay in aging. However, scientists found that space travel may have the opposite effect by accelerating aging in human cells, likely due to the extreme physiological stresses it imposes on the body.
“Space is the ultimate stress test for the human body,” said Catriona Jamieson, a stem cell biologist at the University of California, San Diego, in a statement. Recently, Jamieson’s team discovered that spaceflight accelerates aging in human blood-forming stem cells.1 The researchers found that stem cells that spent about a month in space had a reduced self-renewal capacity and showed signs of molecular aging. Their results, published in Cell Stem Cell, demonstrate the possible dangers of spending extended time in space.
More here.
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.