Space Travelers Can Benefit From Genetic Engineering

While the selection to participate in the astronaut training program is already highly selective (only 9 out of 3,500 people were recently selected for the training program), genetic engineering could identify individuals better suited to endure space missions and decrease safety and health risks. This would provide an additional level of precision to their selection process. Candidates would be screened for certain genes. These genes could encode for robust bone regeneration thus reducing the bone loss that accompanies prolonged space travel. Another gene could encode for rapid repair of DNA that is damaged by high levels of radiation in space. However, these genes must be identified first.

Controlling the human microbiome was proposed as a solution as a possible application of genetic engineering. Every human body hosts about 100 trillion microbes which greatly outnumbers our cells by a factor of 10. These microbes aid in food digestion and immune responses. Scientists believe that some modification or creation of a synthetic microbe could increase efficiency by eliminating pathogens or even body odor. Other propositions suggest microbes that maximize the production of food, water, and renewable fuel. DNA repair genes could also reduce the effects of damaging cosmic rays that astronauts encounter traveling through space.

These propositions are in the early stages so progress in this area of research has been minimal. This article caught my interest since the future of NASA seems to be uncertain. If manned space travel in the US is on the decline this research seems to be obsolete unless other applications are proposed.

Article Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20101106/sc_space/biologistspacetravelerscanbenefitfromgeneticengineering