Space Travel May Change The Body At A Genetic Level

by Anthony FalcoIdentical twins in space seems like the plot of bad sci-fi flick, but the reality is providing crucial data for science. NASA’s Twins Study, which compared astronaut Scott Kelly and his identical twin and fellow astronaut Mark Kelly, may have found evidence that long-term space travel changes your body on a genetic level. Scott returned from his nearly year-long stint in space with changes in his “gene expression, DNA methylation and other biological markers,” according to Nature. Scott’s telomeres — the caps on the ends of chromosomes — grew longer than his brother’s in space, but then returned to pre-flight levels on Earth.While the preliminary findings are dramatic, it may take years for scientists to get to the bottom of all the research. For now, the twins are living data, and pretty great Instagrammers too.

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