We generally don’t realize how our body adapts to the surroundings we are in but when it comes to a drastic change in surroundings like a shift from earth to space our body has to deal with all those changes and how it does that is the question that has made everyone curious.

To understand this better a study is conducted by NASA with twin brothers Scott and Mark.

Scott Kelly is an astronaut who was on space exploration for one year three years ago. NASA has an advantage here as Scott has an identical twin which makes it easier for them to discover what all happens to a person’s body once they have left the earth for a while.

They have been part of various medical tests that can direct the team of researchers towards some helpful results regarding the study.

The examination is still in progress even though Scott came back three years ago. Some of the conclusions that the scientists made after an in-depth analysis are shocking and puzzling at the same time.

The immune system of Scott was affected in certain ways making it very responsive and hyper-activated but that wasn’t the case for Mark.

The next inference from this research was the increase in the activity of DNA repair by the genes in Scott’s body. The comparison was made with Mark’s DNA.

Finally the components of blood were put under the microscope in both cases. The mitochondria count in the case of Scott was definitely higher than Mark’s.

Christopher Mason a Geneticist described these changes by saying “It’s as if the body is reacting to this alien environment sort of like you would a mysterious organism being inside you.”

As NASA looks forward to stepping on Mars and discovering all that the planet has in store for humans this information is crucial as the astronauts need to be prepared before they go ahead for a “Mars tour”.

The data that has come to light is being scrutinized and the people involved in the research are still in the process of finding out if the results point towards positive news or a negative one. That’s still under contemplation.

Craig Kundrot director of NASA’s Space Life and Physical Sciences Research and Applications Division explained the situation. According to him the changes observed in Scott can be just the body’s way of reacting to a sudden shift in the elements of the environment. However he added that it can be a matter of concern too and that’s what is being prioritized right now.

He said “It’s mostly green flags and maybe a handful of things that are roughly like yellow flags things just to keep an eye on.”

When a person spends 340 days outside the earth the body is sure to go through certain adjustments so Mark and Scott had different internal functioning of the body despite having similar genes.

Spaceflight has a huge impact on a person’s health and hence it is important for NASA to consider all the aspects before taking the next step of sending the astronauts to Mars. There will be further studies and results revolving around this in the future too.

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