Bacteria Mutations In Space

"The International Space Station (ISS) is the most complex international scientific and engineering project in history and the largest structure humans have ever put into space. This high-flying satellite is a laboratory for new technologies and an observation platform for astronomical, environmental and geological research."

 Bacteria cultured and grown on the International Space Station have been found to be less affected by antibiotics and more virulent that those that were grown here on Earth. This is due to the pressure that is caused by being within a microgravity environment and having population genetics come into play tin that the stronger mutants are surviving. it's important to do tests in microgravity due to putting out astronauts in space and making sure that the environment is a safe place for them to be. That's why a lot of the research on the International Space Station includes model organisms and things like bacteria to protect us humans.

"This new gene expression data therefore provides additional evidence that the altered behavior of bacteria in space results from decreased gravity driving reduced extracellular transport of molecules. Future spaceflight experiments that examine a variety of other bacterial species under differing growth conditions could help explain changes in bacterial growth and virulence that could significantly affect people living in space."

I think that it is wonderful that we have engineered an environment for this type of genetic testing that can further our health field Simply by taking a microarray we can identify changes that occur within other organisms that we put up into a microgravity environment and then be able to monitor ourselves in space and know how long we should be exposed in space before it becomes unhealthy. I see a lot of work going to be with cancer research, studying cell growth, and studying mutants within this environment.

How Space Effects the Body

NASA twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly are participating in a genetic study that will take place while one on Earth and the other is in space. The purpose is to study the effects of spaceflight using their identical twin genetic makeup. NASA's Human Research Program and Bio-medical Research Institute have taken up this unique research and have ask potential researcher to design an observational comparison between the two astronauts. John Charles the chief of HRP's international science office says that the genetic revolution has reached the space age. He stated that this research was an opportunity to explore.

Data for this research will be collect during Scott Kelly's yearlong space flight. Scott is aboard the International Space Station, his year long journey started last month in March. Mark will be the researcher controlled subject. While Scott is spending a year in space his identical twin Mark will be living out his normal life down on Earth.

In order to collect the data the twins will take blood samples at regular intervals. They will also be providing saliva, psychological, and physical tests. the researchers will be focusing on how effect the space environment on human DNA. They will be looking for any changes in small molecules that are effected by dieting, stress, and zero gravity.

There are no defined outcomes of this research yet because it is first of its kind. NASA will use the data to show the effect space has on the human body. The data collected from this research may be able to aid in future human health studies and will add to the current knowledge of genetics. The information collected from this experiment may shed light on the way people think about the
genetic processes.  This new opportunity to compare the effects of spaceflight and observe the changes in the genetic makeup between twin brothers is extremely revolutionary. I cannot wait to see the result that are produced from this amazing experiment.

Plants Return to Earth after Growing in Space

     More than one thousand plants were put into deep freeze and sent to the International Space Station in order to determine the effect of microgravity on plant growth. As the plants are thawed, their RNA will be sampled using an instrument that will determine the activity of their approximately 30,000 genes. Gravity itself is a force that strongly affects biology, as humans who spend a prolonged period of time in space show decreased bone mass as it is not required to support weight. Similarly, plants that are grown in low-gravity environments grow taller and thinner, and tend to have less structural support.

     Genes produce RNA which then code for separate proteins in the genetic process called transcription. By observing the genetic expression of plants grown in microgravity versus an identical group grown on Earth, the influence of microgravity on plant genes can be determined. It has been shown that plants grown with a lack of physical adversity, such as rain or wind, tend to be less strong and are more susceptible to diseases and pests. Plants grown in space tend to be more vulnerable to diseases due to the same mechanism. Therefore, by determining how to grow plants in space that are resistant to disease, it will be easier to provide food and oxygen for astronauts in the near future.

     I find this article interesting because it directly relates genetic expression to physical adversity. As scientists are able to determine how to grow plants that are less susceptible to disease, it will become more efficient to send astronauts to the International Space Station. In addition, astronauts will be able to go on longer trips if they can produce their own food without worry, meaning that humans will be able to explore more of space after this experiment is completed.

Source: Plants Return to Earth after Growing in Space