Space travel may accelerate the aging of stem cells as much as tenfold, study says

Traveling to space is brutal on the body.

Traveling to space is brutal on the body.

Spaceflight can cause astronauts’ bones to lose density, their brain and eye nerves to swell, and their genes to change expression. Research suggests spending time in space is akin to fast-tracked aging.

NASA’s pioneering study of the identical twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly tracked signals of aging in both men while Mark remained on Earth and Scott spent 340 days in space.

Some changes to Scott’s body — like DNA damage, reduced cognitive function and shortening of the telomeres that cap and protect chromosomes — persisted even after six months, according to a landmark 2019 “twins study” published in the journal Science.

Now, a study published Thursday in the journal Cell Stem Cell outlines a new discovery — that stem cells show signs of aging during the stress of spaceflight, too.