Year In Space Study Results Could Lead To More Experiments

FORT COLLINS (CBS4) - The results of a year-long study of how humans adapt to life in space are in.

Astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year aboard the International Space Station. His twin brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, stayed behind on Earth. Scientists studied both to look for differences between a body that has been in space for a year versus one that has remained on Earth.

According to an article published on CNET, researchers found that Scott Kelly's telomeres, or regions of nucleotides at each end of chromosomes, grew to be longer than those of his brother. Longer telomeres are associated with aging and longevity. Stress can shorten telomeres over time. Long-term space travel did not seem to adversely affect Scott Kelly's telomeres.

"That is exactly the opposite of what we thought," Susan Bailey, a radiation biologist at Colorado State University working with NASA to study the effect of space on telomeres, told Nature.

NASA believes Scott Kelly's stretched telomeres could have resulted from an increased exercise regiment, and a different diet focused on keeping astronauts as healthy as possible while in space. When he returned, his telomeres shorted.

One data set from one set of twins is not enough to draw conclusions, but the results could inspire more experiments.

A full summary of the study's results will be published later this year.