Deep Space Travel May Damage Astronauts' Gut Functions: Study

Advertisement
By Indo-Asian News Service | Updated: 3 October 2018 18:50 IST
Highlights
  • Exposure to cosmic radiation might damage gastrointestinal functions
  • Study raises concern about risk of tumour development in stomach, colon
  • A mouse's small intestine was used as a model system for the study

Exposure to galactic cosmic radiation during deep space travel, such as to Mars, might significantly damage gastrointestinal functions in astronauts, say researchers, led by one of an Indian-origin.

The animal-based study also raises concern about high risk of tumour development in stomach and colon.

"Heavy ions such as iron and silicon are damaging because of their greater mass compared to no-mass photons such as x-rays and gamma (y)-rays prevalent on earth as well as low mass protons in outer space," said Kamal Datta, Associate Professor at the Georgetown University in the US.

Advertisement

"While short trips, like the times astronauts travelled to the Moon, may not expose them to this level of damage, the real concern is lasting injury from a long trip such as a Mars or other deep space missions which would be much longer," Datta added.

Advertisement

The gastrointestinal tract is a self-renewing tissue with continuous cell division/proliferation.

The mucosal (top) layer of cells is replaced every three to five days through coordinated migration of new cells from the bottom of a flask shaped structure called crypt towards the lumen of the gut.

Advertisement

"Any disturbance of this replacement mechanism leads to malfunctioning of physiologic processes such as nutrient absorption and starts pathologic processes such as cancer," said co-author Albert Fornace Jr., Director at the varsity's NASA Specialised Center of Research (NSCOR).

For the study, published in the journal PNAS, the team used mouse's small intestine as a model system and exposed mice to a low dose of iron radiation.

Advertisement

They compared the group of mice that received heavy ions to mice exposed to gamma rays, which are comparable to X-rays, and to a third, unexposed control group.

The scientists found that intestinal cells in the heavy ion group did not adequately absorb nutrients and formed cancerous polyps.

Even though a very low dose was delivered over the equivalent of months-long period in deep space, the effects of heavy ion radiation appeared to be permanent, Fornace said.

"It is important to understand these effects in advance so we can do everything we can to protect our future space travellers," Datta said.

 

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Deep Space, NASA
Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. How to Spot Comet SWAN During Its Close Flyby of Earth
  1. NASA Experiment Shows Martian Ice Could Preserve Signs of Ancient Life
  2. MIT Detects Traces of a Lost ‘Proto Earth’ Deep Beneath Our Planet’s Surface
  3. Astronomers Detect Heavy Water in Planet-Forming Disk Around Young Star
  4. Global Projects Aim to Save Sinking Cities From Rising Seas and Climate Change
  5. NASA Confirms Brightening Comet SWAN Could Be Visible With Binoculars: When and Where to See It
  6. We Live in Time OTT Release: When, Where to Watch the Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh Romance
  7. Imbam Is Now Streaming Online: Know Everything About This Deepak Parambol Starrer Malayali Drama
  8. Mysterious Asteroid Impact Found in Australia, But the Crater is Missing
  9. Thanal Comes to OTT: Everything You Need to Know About This Tamil Action Thriller
  10. Madam Sengupta Is Now Streaming: Know Where to Watch This Bangla Crime Thriller
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.