Spaceflight Leaves Heart Muscle Cell Strength Intact
A study conducted by the University of Chicago on mice aboard the International Space Station suggests that heart muscle cells remain largely unaffected by microgravity. These findings indicate that human cardiac tissue may be more resilient to long-term spaceflight than previously feared.
Why it matters
This research provides critical data for the future of long-duration human space exploration, such as missions to Mars.
Since the dawn of human space exploration, astronauts, scientists, and engineers have examined the short- and long-term effects of microgravity (often mistakenly called zero-gravity) on the human body. This includes the distribution of fluids to the upper body (called “puffy face”), an increase in height from the spine slightly extending, how solar and cosmic radiation impacts humans at the genetic level, and skeletal and muscle loss. However, arguably all these aspects pale in comparison to how the microgravity from spaceflight impacts the heart, and specifically heart muscle cells.
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