How the adaptation of the human microbiome to harsh space environment can determine the chances of success for a space mission to Mars and beyond
Seyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi, Ilham Said-Salman, Ali Reza Mortazavi, Sami El Khatib, Lembit Sihver · 2024
Read How the adaptation of the human microbiome to harsh space environment can determine the chances of success for a space mission to Mars and beyond by Seyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi, Ilham Said-Salman, Ali Reza Mortazavi, Sami El Khatib, Lembit Sihver (2024) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-10881706.txt.
Description
Mortazavi and co-authors warn that a Mars mission's smallest passengers may decide its fate. Astronauts carry trillions of microbes, and spacecraft grow their own microbial life. Space radiation does not just threaten human cells; it trains microbes too. The paper, published in 2023 though the catalog lists 2024, argues this contest deserves planning before launch.
Radiation-toughened microbes can gain resistance not only to radiation but to ultraviolet light, heat, drying, and antibiotics. If microbes adapt faster than their hosts, infections could turn lethal far from any hospital. The authors call for measuring how much change to expect, then building safeguards into mission design. Studying microbes in space, they add, could also pay off in health checks and new radiation treatments back on Earth.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Seyed Mohammad Javad Mortazavi, Ilham Said-Salman, Ali Reza Mortazavi, Sami El Khatib, Lembit Sihver |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2024 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 37 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |