Studying yeast DNA in space may help protect astronauts from cosmic radiation

21.08.2023 - 11:41 / theunconventionalgardener.com / guest

Header image: The atmosphere protects life on Earth from the effects of the Sun’s radiation, but space travel is a different matter. (NASA/SDO)

Hamid Kian Gaikani, University of British Columbia

Nuclear fusion reactions in the sun are the source of heat and light we receive on Earth. These reactions release a massive amount of cosmic radiation — including x-rays and gamma rays — and charged particles that can be harmful for any living organisms.

Life on Earth has been protected thanks to a magnetic field that forces charged particles to bounce from pole to pole as well as an atmosphere that filters harmful radiation.

During space travel, however, it is a different situation. To find out what happens in a cell when travelling in outer space, scientists are sending baker’s yeast to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission.

Cosmic radiation can damage cell DNA, significantly increasing human risk of neurodegenerative disorders and fatal diseases, like cancer. Because the International Space Station (ISS) is located in one of two of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts — which provides a safe zone — astronauts are not exposed too much. Astronauts in the ISS experience microgravity, however, which is another stress that can dramatically change cell physiology.

As NASA is planning to send astronauts to the moon, and later on to Mars, these environmental stresses become more challenging.

The most common strategy to protect astronauts from the negative effects of cosmic rays is to physically shield them using state-of-the-art materials.

Several studies show that hibernators are more resistant to high doses of radiation, and some scholars have suggested the use of “synthetic or induced torpor” during space missions to protect