Humans have always had a fascination with the infinite space
that surrounds our little planet. We dreamed of exploring it and finally made
it happen in the last century. We reached the moon and now we’re working to get
humans onto Mars. And while we seem to consider everything about space travel
from what to eat to how to shower to how to maintain your muscle, we don’t
think a lot about what’s happening at a cellular level in our bodies while up
in space. Well, it turns out that we should start thinking about it more
because a recent study in 2018 found that long-term spaceflight negatively
affects our immune cells making us more susceptible to viruses.
Researchers at the
University of Arizona found that astronauts who were in space for six months or
more had altered natural killer cells (NK cells). This type of white blood cell
is responsible for recognizing and destroying virus-infected cells.
While space and space stations are sterile environments and humans
are therefore not at risk of acquiring any new viruses, they are threatened by
viruses laying dormant in their bodies. These viruses include any that remain
in your body after initial infection, such as herpes. While herpes is not
particularly life-threatening, it is still concerning that an astronaut’s
immune system is compromised in space.
This study only looked at astronauts who were in spaceflight
for about a year. A trip to Mars takes more than three. The question now is how
compromised the immune system may become after such a long spaceflight and
whether it can return to normal if the astronauts return to Earth. It also
raises further questions on how viral disease might work on another planet, and
whether it’s not only the lack of water and oxygen that would keep us away, but
also the possibly rapid spread of disease among human Martians.
-Mailo Numazu
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment