Undark Magazine
•categories.
categories.
88% Informative
Astronauts face numerous known health problems in space, including a loss in bone density, muscle atrophy, and psychological issues.
Researchers are trying to understand the effects of space on the microbiome in terrestrial settings that are similar in some way to those experienced in space or in space itself.
Direct research is limited because only around 600 people have ever been to space.
A 2019 study by Jack Gilbert and his colleagues suggests this might be the case.
In March 2016, astronauts in the ISS collected samples from the station’s dining room table.
They then isolated the microbes in the sample, selected two strains of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum, and sequenced their genes.
The team also subjected small worms called nematodes to both samples.
The ESA is currently working on a study in which they provide compounds found in human breast milk called oligosaccharides, a linked group of carbohydrates, to the diets of researchers staying at the Concordia research station in the Antarctic for more than a year.
These compounds are believed to be important in creating healthy microbiomes in babies.
VR Score
91
Informative language
92
Neutral language
51
Article tone
informal
Language
English
Language complexity
55
Offensive language
not offensive
Hate speech
not hateful
Attention-grabbing headline
not detected
Known propaganda techniques
not detected
Time-value
long-living
External references
26
Source diversity
17
Affiliate links
no affiliate links