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What does space travel do to our cells?
UNSW Sydney scientists are exploring the effects of microgravity – the condition where people or objects seem to be weightless – on mammalian cells.
UNSW medical researcher Associate Professor Kate Poole and her team are set to investigate how our cells sense changes in gravity as we travel out of the Earth’s atmosphere, thanks to a two-year research grant from the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
Space travel can be tough on the body. During and after space missions, astronauts experience health problems ranging from loss of bone and muscle mass to weakened immune function and vision problems. While there are some studies on the physiological effects of microgravity on the body, the underlying cellular mechanisms of these changes – and how cells in the body actually sense diminished gravitational forces – remain elusive.