Heart Tissue Shows Signs of Aging After Just One Month in Space, Study Finds | Space

A few years ago, biomedical scientist Jonathan Tsui flew to Florida with unique baggage. He toted compact chambers—smaller than a cell phone—containing 48 bits of human heart tissue.

Tsui brought the samples to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where in March 2020 they were loaded onto a SpaceX craft and sent to the International Space Station for a month. The goal? To study the effects of low gravity conditions on the human heart in preparation for long-term space travel.

After just 30 days in space, the heart tissue samples not only weakened, but also demonstrated irregular beating patterns and hallmark symptoms of aging. The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Tuesday.

“With current plans for manned missions to Mars and beyond, the need to better understand, prevent and counteract the harmful effects of long-duration spaceflight on the body is becoming increasingly important,” the researchers write in the paper.

Scientists have known that low and zero gravity conditions have an adverse effect on human bodies for a while. Muscle atrophy, bone loss, reduced heart function and irregular…