Being in space probably won't hurt you, new study shows

What happens to your body when you live in space? That's the question that NASA set out to answer — with twins.
In 2015, astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year aboard the International Space Station, while his identical twin brother Mark did not. After Scott returned, scientists conducted a "meticulous" investigation of both twins, analyzing the changes that occurred in their bodies to understand the effects of long periods spent away from our planet. Four years later, the results of NASA's study are ready to be shared.
Published in the journal Science on Thursday, the findings might seem a little underwhelming at first glance. While Scott Kelly underwent some physical changes during his time in space, "the vast majority" of those changes went back to normal within six months. Furthermore, Scott was about as healthy as his brother during his time at the International Space Station in terms of physical, mental, and genetic health.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
But while nothing so radical as a DNA transformation or a new mutation occurred, this data still provides NASA with valuable information about the changes an astronaut's body can go through in space — and we can use that information to better protect our astronauts who venture out into orbit, to the moon, to Mars, and eventually, beyond.
NASA is taking these results as a good sign: In a statement released on Thursday about the study, the agency concluded "human health can be mostly sustained" over the course of a year in space. And one of the study's investigators, Michael Snyder, said "it's reassuring to know that when you come back things will largely be back to the same."
NASA plans to conduct further studies on the effects of living in space on the human body with more missions of varying lengths. Read more about the results we have so far at Gizmodo.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
NASA reveals ‘clearest sign of life’ on Mars yet
Speed Read The evidence came in the form of a rock sample collected on the planet
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th test
speed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Colorado
speed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Why does the US want to put nuclear reactors on the moon?
Today's Big Question The plans come as NASA is facing significant budget cuts
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's study
Speed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-off
Speed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
-
'Thriving' ecosystem found 30,000 feet undersea
Speed Read Researchers discovered communities of creatures living in frigid, pitch-black waters under high pressure