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Astronauts' blood shows signs of DNA mutations due to spaceflight
https://www.space.com/astronaut-spaceflight-cancer-dna-mutations-studyAstronauts' blood shows signs of DNA mutations due to spaceflight
By Elizabeth Howell
published 1 day ago
The researchers stored astronaut blood for 20 years to see how short space shuttle flights affected spaceflyer health.
Astronaut cancer risk needs careful monitoring, concludes a study that stored spaceflyer blood for 20 years.
All fourteen astronauts in the study, from NASA's space shuttle program, had DNA mutations in blood-forming stem cells, a Nature Communications Biology study Aug. 31 concluded. The mutations, though unusually high considering the astronauts' age, was below a key threshold of concern, however.
While the study is unique for keeping astronaut blood around for so long, the results are not show-stopping. Rather, the researchers suggest that astronauts should be subject to periodic blood screening to keep an eye on possible mutations. (And it should be considered in context; another 2019 study, for example, found that astronauts are not dying from cancer due to ionizing space radiation.)
[...]
By Elizabeth Howell
published 1 day ago
The researchers stored astronaut blood for 20 years to see how short space shuttle flights affected spaceflyer health.
Astronaut cancer risk needs careful monitoring, concludes a study that stored spaceflyer blood for 20 years.
All fourteen astronauts in the study, from NASA's space shuttle program, had DNA mutations in blood-forming stem cells, a Nature Communications Biology study Aug. 31 concluded. The mutations, though unusually high considering the astronauts' age, was below a key threshold of concern, however.
While the study is unique for keeping astronaut blood around for so long, the results are not show-stopping. Rather, the researchers suggest that astronauts should be subject to periodic blood screening to keep an eye on possible mutations. (And it should be considered in context; another 2019 study, for example, found that astronauts are not dying from cancer due to ionizing space radiation.)
[...]
Nature Communications Biology study (pdf):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-022-03777-z.pdf
4 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
... I wonder if the mutations are all bad? The article seems to treat mutations as possibly damaging - with cancer being a concern. But it seemed like the cancer risk was low. And, if females had less DNA "damage," maybe more astronauts should be female?
... I hope they test any children born after space time. Maybe we can develop a lineage of space travelers!
