Life on Mars would be too harsh on the human body, study suggests

Will it remain a dream forever?

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

Mars, the declared goal of space exploration and Elon Musk's pet project, poses a challenge to human survival on interplanetary journeys. A recent study on the effects of microgravity on mouse bones shows that life on the red planet could be tough.

Weightlessness has health consequences

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

People exposed to prolonged periods of weightlessness and the increased radiation of space lose bone density. This is one of many reasons why astronauts typically don't stay in space for more than about six months.

The aging process accelerates

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

NASA's data is alarming: Every month in space, astronauts lose about 1% of their bone density. In other words, their bone loss in six months is comparable to that of a person on Earth over decades, as the aging process accelerates on a cellular level.

NASA's radiation limit

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

NASA therefore has a radiation limit for astronauts. However, it’s unlikely for radiation to be the cause of rapid bone loss, a new study published in the journal PLOS One says.

The researchers' hypothesis

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

The research, conducted by biomedical engineers at the Blue Marble Space Science Institute, says that weightlessness or lack of gravity seems to be the main cause of rapid bone loss, rather than radiation.

Mice on board the ISS

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

For the NASA experiment, the bones of mice that had lived aboard the ISS for 37 days were examined. "The particular focus of our study is on the femur, as it bears the brunt of the weight in mice," the team explains in the study.

Holes in the femur

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

The analysis revealed that the space mice's femurs were "riddled with large holes," according to  Science Alert, particularly in the key areas where they connect to the hip and knee joints.

Some bone structures weren’t affected

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

Other bone structures, such as the lumbar spine, which does not have an important supporting function in these rodents, remained virtually unchanged.

Bone deterioration

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

According to the study, bones deteriorate from the inside out, which the scientists say is inconsistent with radiation as the trigger.

Why radiation is an unlikely cause

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

"If space radiation in low Earth orbit or other systemic factors were the primary cause of bone loss during spaceflight, one would expect systemic changes in the skeletal system," the researchers write.

Our human skeletons need gravity

Will it remain a dream forever?, Weightlessness has health consequences, The aging process accelerates, NASA's radiation limit, The researchers' hypothesis, Mice on board the ISS, Holes in the femur, Some bone structures weren’t affected, Bone deterioration, Why radiation is an unlikely cause, Our human skeletons need gravity

"The overall data clearly points to mechanical unloading as the primary cause of bone loss during spaceflight," the scientists concluded. In other words, without gravity, the bones are not subject to stress, leading to their degeneration.

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