00:00Humans aren't exactly built for space travel.
00:06That's why astronauts are known to have lower bone density, fewer blood cells, and more
00:10health issues upon returning to Earth.
00:12However, immune dysfunction and inflammatory conditions are also common for spacefarers,
00:17and a new study indicates it might be because the environment up there is too sterile.
00:22Researchers found that the International Space Station has too little microbe diversity compared
00:25to Earth.
00:26This only makes sense as astronauts undergo a period of isolation, and the main way microbes
00:30get up there is from skin that is shed naturally.
00:33In fact, microbes of any particular kind were usually isolated to their respective areas,
00:37i.e. food microbes in the food prep areas and urine and fecal microbes near the toilet
00:42areas.
00:43The study found that surfaces lack the consistent free-living environmental microbes present
00:47on Earth.
00:48So why is that important?
00:49Well, free-living microbes actually contribute to a healthy immune system.
00:52In fact, previous studies have revealed that the microbes that humans are exposed to from
00:56soil while gardening actually improve health.
00:59Experts say this could be something to further investigate, and that incorporating a healthy
01:03and diverse microbiome aboard the ISS could improve the health of astronauts.
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