Science Suggests Women's Bodies Are Better Equipped for Space Travel
The first of its kind, the Space Omics and Medical Atlas offers a trove of studies analyzing the effects of space travel on human biology and more
Hiya!
Science fiction makes living in space look easy, as if there’s no significant difference between living on Earth or a space station. But the reality is that our bodies are uniquely designed for Earth, and living in space is quite literally out of our element.
While astronauts frequently travel into space, their journeys are not as long as extended space travel, like to the outer edge of our solar system or even Mars, would require. This is mainly because we still don’t know how well our biomechanics can survive long-term space missions.
But that’s changing now, thanks to a treasure trove of studies released in June 2024. These studies reveal new information about the effects of space on the human body — and there are a few surprises.
The Space Omics and Medical Atlas
Every aspect of our human bodies evolved to live on Earth, and, as you know, the conditions on Earth are completely different than in Space. One might say the two environments are opposites. After all, air and gravity are crucial to our survival, and Space lacks both.
The problem with a lack of air is obvious — we die — but a lack of gravity is likewise highly problematic for everything from staying in shape — which is critical since microgravity weakens bones and atrophies muscles — to an array of health issues due to fluid shifts in astronauts’ heads which can cause headaches, vision problems, and changes in brain structure.
Earth’s atmosphere and magnetic field protect us against dangerous cosmic radiation, but leaving Earth means leaving its protection, too, ultimately exposing ourselves to hazardous radiation levels that can cause cancer and degenerative and neurological diseases.
Despite these dangers, humans have never been so eager to pursue space exploration — especially considering technological and scientific advancements are rapidly reaching a point where sending humans into deep space is a real option.
Such technical progress and widespread enthusiasm pressure scientists to learn more about the effects of space on the human body, and the newly released Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) offers scientists a trove of research to help them do so.
As the largest data collection on aerospace medicine and space biology ever compiled, SOMA dramatically expands our knowledge about how the human body changes during space travel and its effects on our health.
Biometric data (body measurements and calculations related to human attributes) are regularly recorded for trained astronauts, but if space tourism is going to be a thing, then scientists also need to know how space travel affects the biometrics of non-trained, civilian astronauts — which makes SOMA even more exciting.
Most of the data in SOMA comes from the health information of four unique individuals who traveled in SpaceX's Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit.
According to SpaceX, the two male and two female civilians traveling in Inspiration4 journeyed to “altitudes as high as 590 kilometers [366 miles] above the Earth’s surface,” which is “farther than any human spaceflight since the Hubble missions.” There, they orbited Earth for three days before safely returning on September 18, 2021.
Extensive biological samples were taken of all four civilian astronauts before, during, and after their three-day orbit around Earth. While four is clearly a small sample size, this information is the first evidence scientists have of the average human’s health in space compared to highly trained professional astronauts.
Data collected by the Inspiration4 mission lays the foundation for a future space biology research database that can help reduce health risks for astronauts as we venture further into space and for longer durations.
I don’t have enough time or space to delve into all 44 studies released by SOMA. I might write about more in the future, but for now, I’ll share one, in particular, that has been making headlines recently because it suggests female bodies are better suited for space travel than males.
The Study
The study — led by Christopher Mason, a professor of physiology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, and published by Nature Communications — analyzed how the immune systems of the four civilian astronauts reacted to space flight during the Inspiration4 mission and compared the findings with data from 64 professional astronauts.
Remarkably, their analysis suggests that the female body is better equipped to handle the conditions in space and recover faster from spaceflight after returning to Earth than male astronauts.
The researchers write in their study that males, in general, "appear to be more affected by spaceflight for almost all cell types and metrics."
For instance, the team identified 18 cytokines/chemokines (proteins related to inflammation, aging, and muscle homeostasis) that changed after spaceflight. They also found that genes responsible for encoding leukocytes (virus-fighting antigens) were suppressed. The scientists write in the study:
“The aggregate data thus far indicates that the gene regulatory and immune response to space flight is more sensitive in males.”
This is the only study I’m writing about today from SOMA about sex differences in space travel, but it’s not the only one. Such findings may now be getting more attention, but plenty of research has already suggested females may be better equipped for space travel.
Previous Supporting Research
Mason’s study supports previous research I found from 2023 by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Space Medicine Team. This study, led by Jonathan P. R. Scott at the Institute of Space Medicine and Physiology (MEDES) in Toulouse, France, utilized a method used to estimate the effects of body size on life support requirements for male astronauts sent on exploration missions, but they applied it to estimate life support resources for all-female crews instead.
The team found that estimates for females, in all parameters and statures, were lower than for males. The researchers conclude that “there may be a number of operational advantages to all-female crews during future human space exploration missions.”
Why is this?
The next big question is, why are female bodies more resilient to space travel than males? Mason told Science editor for The Guardian, Ian Sample, that the female body’s ability to cope with the physical demands of pregnancy may have something to do with it.
“Being able to tolerate large changes in physiology and fluid dynamics may be great for being able to manage pregnancy but also manage the stress of spaceflight at a physiological level.”
Still, generally speaking, things look okay for astronauts of both sexes, civilian or professional, to spend at least some time in space. The researchers found that most of the changes human bodies undergo while in space reverse within three months of returning to Earth. However, the study again indicates that females typically recover quicker than males. The researchers write:
“More studies will be needed to confirm these trends, but such results can have implications for recovery times and possibly crew selection, for example more females, for high-altitude, lunar, and deep space missions.”
This study, while intriguing, remains preliminary, and as the researchers said, more studies are needed. Still, if the findings hold up and female biology is better suited for space travel than male biology, it stands to reason future space exploration may include all-female crews.
Recovering from space travel within months is pretty good, but what happens when astronauts, professional or civilian, don’t have a chance to return to Earth and recuperate? Scientists don’t know yet, but they’ll need to find out before science advances enough to test such ambitions.
Perspective Shift
Humans have discussed, theorized, and fantasized about living on the Moon and other planets for, maybe ever. But we’ve never been so close to making it a reality. We’re so close, in fact, that Elon Musk’s SpaceX civilian crewed Inspiration4 was just the beginning of what’s to come. SpaceX is also currently testing its Starship, which is designed to transport humans to Mars.
Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft has already sent at least 37 people to Earth’s atmosphere and back over seven missions for space tourism, including six people in May 2024. It’s not just billionaires, either. NASA also has plans to send astronauts (professional ones) to the Moon’s south pole on Artemis III this decade.
Still, even if female bodies hold up better in Space, I think I’ll stay right here on Earth no matter what. Not even my curiosity will get me on a spaceship.
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Makes perfect sense. Thanks