(Newser)
– They called it the “perfect nature against feeding” experiment: astronaut Scott Kelly was sent to the International Space Station for almost a year, while his identical twin, the astronaut and now Senator Mark Kelly, remained on Earth. When Scott Kelly returned home in March 2016, scientists compared his DNA and body makeup to that of his twin and found that Scott was 2 inches taller than him and boasted a lower body mass. , among other changes (most of which have since returned). Now, according to a study published Monday in the journal Circulation, announced another important change: Kelly’s heart mass decreased during her cosmos traveling from 6.7 ounces to 4.9 ounces, or about 27%, although the astronaut did not appear to have major repercussions because of it. “He’s done remarkably well over a year,” said study co-author Benjamin D. Levine, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. New York Times.
CNN explainer: When people are dealing with the gravity of the Earth, the heart has to work harder to pump blood. With zero gravity, however, the heart does not have to work so hard and thus atrophies. Levine says Times that Kelly’s heart did this without becoming “dysfunctional.” The study also looked at Benoit Lecomte, an endurance swimmer who tried to cross the Pacific in 2018. The buoyancy and near-constant horizontal state of Lecomte during his five-month plus swimming produced conditions similar to Kelly’s weight, and his heart shrank almost as fast. Although Kelly did well, he worked quite a lot while in space using exercise equipment – he probably keeps his heart from losing weight. The scientists’ concern is that astronauts on future missions may be prevented from exercising due to injuries, illness or faulty equipment and suffer more serious effects. NASA is funding additional research on the heart, which involves astronauts in both long-distance and short-distance travel. (Read more stories about discoveries.)