Scientists Want to Genetically Modify Super Humans for Space Travel To Mars

By Aaron Kesel

Human beings may need to be genetically modified for space travel.  Humans could be prevented from going to Mars due to our immune systems, according to scientists who wrote a study for Nature Scientific Reports.

A team of researchers from Russia and Canada analyzed the effect of microgravity on protein in blood samples of 18 Russian astronauts who previously lived on the International Space Station for six months and found changes to their immune systems.

“The results showed that in weightlessness, the immune system acts like it does when the body is infected because the human body doesn’t know what to do and tries to turn on all possible defense systems,” Professor Evgeny Nikolaev, of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology said.

The scientists found that the blood proteins change as the immune system alters the blood. The study retained blood from cosmonauts 30 days before they traveled to take their space mission to the ISS and then again on their immediate return to Earth. They were also tested seven days after being in orbit as a control to the experiment. The individual blood proteins were then counted using a mass spectrometer.

“When we examined the cosmonauts after their being in space for half a year, their immune system was weakened,” said Dr Irina Larina, the first author of the paper, a member of Laboratory of Ion and Molecular Physics of Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.

They were not protected from the simplest viruses. We need new measures of disorder prevention during a long flight.

We must understand the mechanism that causes disorders. If we find the pathways that are affected by the weightlessness, we will be able to find the target for the remedy and we’ll be able to offer new pharmaceutical products that will prevent these negative processes.

The effects on the human body have been well documented; it’s widely known that microgravity influences metabolism, heat regulation, heart rhythm, muscle tone, bone density, blood vessels, the body’s respiration system, natural Circadian rhythms and even vision.

During long spaceflights on the ISS, research has found 37 crew members experienced a decrease in isokinetic strength of between 8% and 17%.  Because of these profound implications it may present problems for humans embarking on even longer journeys, such as to Mars. Further data suggests that around 30% of muscle strength is lost after spending 110 to 237 days in microgravity.

Another study published in 2014 corroborated Nikolaev’s data suggesting that living in space for prolonged periods of time can depress astronauts’ immune systems.