Posted on 05/17/2020 7:22:07 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The results make for an interesting read. First, an analysis of nine astronauts, published in Scientific Reports in 2019.
This study looked at crew members who stayed on the ISS between six and 12 months, and found that, surprisingly, their gut microbiomes actually grew more diverse in the relatively sterile and bacteria-free environment of space.
This unexpected find might be a result of the carefully controlled diets on board the ISS: NASA works hard to make more than 200 food and drink options available on the space station, probably giving astronauts a more varied choice than they would get at home.
The good news is this 'fingerprinting' of the gut microbiome could actually be a positive – in general, the more diverse our gut bacteria, the better our chances of fending off disease. However, researchers haven't looked into whether this is the case in astronauts as yet.
More mixed results were seen when they tested skin microbiomes: some astronauts had an increase in the diversity of their skin bacteria, while others saw a decrease. The only consistent trend was a decrease in the Proteobacteria bacteria, possibly caused by the cleanliness of the space station (this phylum of bacteria is found in high amounts in soil).
And it turns out that we've also been causing microbial changes in the opposite direction, too. So much so that scientists are able to tell which astronauts have been on board the ISS simply by looking at the microbial traces they've left behind.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Reminds me to ask...How can they keep COVID 19, 20, 21, etc out of the ISS?
I thought only Biden did that... oh, never mind...
They don’t live at the beach house. They live in the crew quarters in the O&C building.
But they go to and from the ISS through Russia now
I guess they could keep them in a bubble between KSC & the launch area. However, I’m a bit surprised that they don’t just go from the Houston area nowadays
Humans need an environment in which the body is confronted with a diverse microbiome; that is how a healthy immune system develops and is maintained. Sheltering in place and sanitizing everything around you is the opposite of that. Kids raised on the farm encounter the real world with less disease reaction to it than city kids. Keeping all our children in hibernation this spring will have adverse repercussions this coming fall. We may see a larger share of childhood cases of flu and the Wuhan Virus than has been seen so far.
They are going to be leaving from Cape Canaveral on the Crew Dragon on the 27th.
They require special deodorants as well.
That would be an interesting study - to follow up on the astronauts that have been REALLY isolated for 6 to 12 months and see how they do once back on earth.
I imagine they do just fine or we would have read about them dropping dead all over.
Hmm - probably similar to going to living overseas for awhile. I wonder - I’ve read where Mexicans can drink their water just fine, but if I had a sip I might get sick as a dog. After living in the USA for awhile - will they get sick on their water back home?
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