Despite the fact that man has long learned to live in a space station, science still has to unravel many mysteries associated with the existence of living organisms in conditions different from those on Earth. The largest space agencies regularly conduct research studying changes in the body of a person staying on the ISS, and sometimes the results of these experiments lead scientists into a complete stupor. As, for example, the recent experiment with twins - astronaut Scott Kelly and his twin brother who remained on Earth.
Telomeres are the ends of chromosomes that have a protective function. Over the years, our telomeres become shorter and shorter, personifying a kind of internal biological clock of a person, which ticks continuously, counting the time remaining for him. Previously, scientists believed that in the stressful conditions of space astronauts' telomeres would shorten significantly faster, but the experiment with the Kelly twins showed a completely unexpected result: Scott Kelly's telomeres under the conditions of the ISS became longer, essentially rejuvenating his body. However, upon the return of the astronaut to Earth, the telomeres quickly returned to normal and returned to the state before the flight.
On March 27, 2017, NASA will send the Cygnus CRS OA-7 supply cargo ship to the ISS, which will deliver materials for an experiment called Genes in Space II to the station. Scientists are haunted by an unusual change in Scott Kelly's telomeres, so they want to further explore this issue. The new experiment may answer questions regarding the discovered anomaly and allow researchers to better understand the changes in the human body under conditions of prolonged space flight. After all, we want to travel not only to the ISS, but also beyond it, right?
This is far from the first space exploration of DNA. Last year, NASA initiated the first experiment in the Genes in Space series to study the effect of microgravity on the DNA of living organisms. The astronauts also studied the behavior of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae, which was delivered to the ISS. The research results have not yet been published, but in the near future NASA experts promise to share with us the information they have collected and processed.
SERGEY GRAY