Astronaut's DNA No Longer Matches His Identical Twin's After Year Spent in Space

[SidDithers]

http://ktla.com/2018/03/14/astronauts-dna-no-longer-matches-his-identical-twins-after-year-spent-in-space-nasa-finds/

Spending a year in space not only changes your outlook, it transforms your genes.

Preliminary results from NASA's Twins Study reveal that 7% of astronaut Scott Kelly's genes did not return to normal after his return to Earth two years ago.

The study looks at what happened to Kelly before, during and after he spent one year aboard the International Space Station through an extensive comparison with his identical twin, Mark, who remained on Earth.

NASA has learned that the formerly identical twins are no longer genetically the same.

Science is cool.

Sid

[still_one]

1. Yes Science is cool, but changing one's DNA may not be so cool

[KansasKali]

2. I wonder

I wonder if anyone has studied the children of astronauts who were conceived after they returned from space? Are their genes different?

[GeorgeHayduke]

10. Has the DNA of which one changed?

The astronaut or the astronauts progeny?

You could measure change in the astronats genetic code, as has been done in this article, but not necessarily of their children. Homologous recombination at conception kind of messes that opportunity up with some other parents DNA.

[rurallib]

3. Wow! How interesting

gives insights into the rigors of space travel and how it just isn't simple.

Am I wrong to think this could also be tied to understanding evolution? Actually seeing DNA change?

[Duppers]

15. It has been

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.nature.com/news/massive-genetic-study-shows-how-humans-are-evolving-1.22565&ved=2ahUKEwiInaaHoO3ZAhVT7mMKHaA-BVQQFjAAegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1e8_KIXnRNvL1eStIOdIcb

[cab67]

18. DNA changes all the time.

The amount of difference in this case is striking, but unless the differences get passed on to future generations and spread through the population, it doesn’t really mean anything for evolution.

I haven’t read the paper yet, but my initial guess is that most of the changes to the astronaut’s DNA are selectively neutral.

[bigtree]

4. aren't there other causes of gene 'change?'

...that may not be associated with space?

They mentioned 'nutrition.' That's something which could have triggered the change here on Earth, something such as a bacterial infection could alter results by these amounts.

[getagrip_already]

7. they said they tested him before, during, after,

so presumably they know when the changes occurred. They likely tested his brother over the same time periods and know the degree of relative change between the samples.

[bigtree]

8. I guess my point

...is that it's not something that just occurs in space, at least this level of gene change.

Is it 'space' or is it some other organic cause?

[Spider Jerusalem]

12. Long-term exposure to radiation from cosmic rays is the most likely explanation (n/t)

[Maynar]

24. That would be my guess as well

[VOX]

5. As G.W. Bush said after 45's inauguration, "That's some weird shit."

DNA is getting pretty basic. Messing it up cannot be good.

[Brother Buzz]

6. His identical twin brother, Mark, husband to Gabrielle Giffords, spent 54 days in space, too

[forgotmylogin]

9. All of our biological processes evolved to operate at the bottom of a gravity well...

so it will be fascinating to see what happens when that's not the case.

https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/bodyinspace

http://www.iflscience.com/space/five-things-happen-your-body-space/

http://www.cracked.com/article_20580_5-everyday-things-that-go-totally-nuts-in-zero-gravity.html

https://www.livescience.com/33091-slideshow-strange-everyday-things-space.html

Spiders get confused when there is no "down" reference that gravity gives.

[LAS14]

20. Thanks for all this! Might you be able to address my post #16? nt

[forgotmylogin]

21. I'm not a geneticist...

but it kind of makes sense--if you think of how DNA chain structures are like a ladder that only fits together in certain ways. I can imagine it's possible that removing gravity might cause the chains to pull together randomly or in different ways than they would on Earth.

The metaphor I can come up with is trying to put together an IKEA bookcase in zero-G without the assistance of gravity holding everything in place where you set it down!

I wonder if it is only the DNA in new cells that were created during the year spent on the space station that are different? Over the course of seven years, every cell in your body is replaced, theoretically making you an entirely different person.

[calimary]

22. Aw, poor little spider.

Wow - gotta admit, this is worrisome.

[mountain grammy]

11. Kind of weird. Wonder how that happens.

Very interesting.

[ellie]

13. It's cool and scary

At the same time.

[IluvPitties]

14. Scary!

[LAS14]

16. OK. So a gene in one cell changes. Do the genes in 7% of the other cells...

...change in exactly the same way???? How come????

[Nitram]

17. A very good reason not to go into space.

[Duppers]

19. Folks will throw stones

at me but why send people into space, exposing their bodies to certain unavoidable damage, when robots can do everything humans can and at huge substantial savings too.

😌

[iluvtennis]

23. Wow

[lame54]

25. Alien Evolution

[vicman]

26. I wonder

if he has any super powers now?