Revealed: The brutal effect space travel has on the human body

"Experts have discovered spaceflight speeds up the ageing of human stem cells, which are critical to the body's natural repair system. Now, scientists have been able to measure how spending time in low gravity has an effect at the cellular level. A team from the University of California sent stem cells to the International Space Station (ISS) on four supply missions that lasted between 32 and 45 days."

"Analysis revealed they lost some of their ability to make healthy new cells, became more prone to DNA damage and the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes were shortened - all signs of accelerated ageing. 'Space is the ultimate stress test for the human body,' Professor Catriona Jamieson, director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) at the University of California - San Diego, said. 'These findings are critically important because they show that the stressors of space - like microgravity and cosmic galactic radiation - can accelerate the molecular aging of blood stem cells.'"

"The effects of spending time in space became apparent earlier this year when two NASA astronauts returned to Earth after nine months stuck on the ISS - and appeared much older than when they left. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who were initially scheduled for an eight-day mission, ending up spending 286 days in space due to technical problems with the Boeing Starliner that launched them there. Shocking before-and-after images showed the terrifying damage that months spent in the harsh conditions of space had on the astronauts."

Spaceflight accelerates ageing of human blood stem cells, impairing their ability to produce healthy new cells, increasing DNA damage, and shortening telomere protective caps. A University of California team sent stem cells to the International Space Station on four supply missions lasting 32 to 45 days and compared their condition after return. Microgravity and cosmic radiation acted as stressors that produced molecular signs of accelerated ageing in stem cells. Astronauts already face physical risks such as muscle loss and increased cancer risk. Two astronauts who spent 286 days aboard the ISS returned appearing visibly older and physically gaunt.

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