Hey there and welcome to Life Noggin.
One thing I love about my human friends is that you come from all over this beautiful
Earth.
But what if one of my future friends was born beyond Earth?
What would it be like to be born in space?
Well, obviously being born in space would grant you powers like heat vision, super speed,
super strength, and give you an affinity for journalism.
Oh wait, sorry, I was just thinking of my buddy Kara.
Fictional fantasies aside, being born in space or someplace other than Earth might be a little
harder than you might think.
This is in part due to gravity.
One recent study from the University of Montreal found that the reproductive process of plants
was affected by changes in gravity.
They found that both hypergravity and simulated microgravity had an effect.
While the reproductive systems of plants are obviously different than a human’s, this
can still give us some insight to how a human’s reproductive system might be affected under
different gravitational conditions.
However, the recent Space Pup experiment seems to give a more positive light on the possibility
of humans being born in space.
Space Pup sounds like the most adorable superhero ever, but it’s actually a study of what
being on the International Space Station would do to freeze-dried mouse sperm.
Although some slight DNA damage occurred, being on the ISS did not impair the birth
rate or the normality of the offspring that came from the sperm.
Still, mice are not the same as humans, but this study leaves me a bit more optimistic
on the thought of human babies being born in space.
Overall, it seems to be a little unclear one way or the other on how feasible it is to
be born in space, but if we make the assumption that is indeed feasible, just what might a
little stellar tike be like?
Since the only places humans have been other than Earth is the Moon and our spacecrafts,
it makes the most sense to look there as potential new birthplaces.
If someone was born on a place like the International Space Station, that baby might develop problems
with muscle mass, bone density, and even cardiovascular health.
Astronauts on the ISS typically exercise around 2 hours or more every day to counteract the
effects of weightlessness on the human body.
Without doing so, they’d be more likely to develop the problems mentioned earlier.
While adult astronauts can be proactive by exercising, I don’t think a baby will be
able to hit the gym as soon as they're born.
Come on, chug that protein shake!
Also, if a baby was born on the ISS, or maybe a space installation on the moon, there is
a good chance that they would develop behavioral issues.
NASA has learned that it’s basically inevitable for behavioral issues to occur among groups
of people crammed in a small space over a long time, so unless our little friend is
given more hospitable conditions than our astronauts are used to, they’d probably
develop some problems.
These could include a decline in mood, cognition, or interpersonal interaction.
One recent finding that could prove interesting for a space-born baby comes from NASA’s
Twin Study.
This study looks as what nearly a year in space would do to astronaut Scott Kelly, compared
to his twin brother, Mark, who remained on Earth.
They found that Scott’s telomeres on the ends of his white blood cell chromosomes increased
in length while in space.
They reported that it could be linked to increased exercise and reduced caloric intake, but it
would be pretty amazing if it turns out it was because of his time in space.
We’ve explored in the past how shortening telomeres seem to be related to aging, so
this could potentially be some big news!
So what do you think?
Will humanity soon have a baby born in space?
Let me know in the comments below!
Make sure you come back every Monday for a brand new video.
As always, I’m Blocko and this has been Life Noggin.
Don’t forget to keep on thinking!