New research sheds light on how spaceflight affects men and women differently. The study, led by Dr. Rachael D. Seidler of the University of Florida and published in the journal npj Microgravity, revealed unexpected gender differences that could be crucial for planning future long-term interplanetary missions to the Moon and Mars.
Historically, due to the small number of female astronauts, science lacked sufficient data for comparison. “Our dataset still consisted of only about a quarter of women, but because the total amount of information was large, we were able to investigate these differences for the first time,” explains Dr. Seidler.
The team analyzed MRI scans of astronauts’ brains to understand how gender, age, and physical parameters affect changes in the body after spaceflight.
Unexpected threat to men
The main discovery was that the brains of men and women react differently to fluid redistribution in microgravity conditions. The analysis showed that female astronauts experience a more pronounced decrease in fluid volume in the upper part of the brain compared to men. This indicates that gender differences may influence the hydrodynamics of cerebral fluids during spaceflight.
The most unexpected result of the study was the data on vision. It turned out that a common problem among astronauts—flattening of the back wall of the eyeball—affects men significantly more often than women. This change, which is part of the so-called neuroocular syndrome, can significantly affect visual acuity.
“To date, the most common sign of vision changes we have observed has been flattening of the eyeball. Interestingly, these changes were more common in men than in women,” Seidler notes. This discovery makes monitoring eye health a priority, especially for male astronauts.
One of the most interesting findings of the study is the lack of a clear link between structural changes in the brain and vision problems. This suggests that the effects of space on the eyes and brain may be the result of various physiological processes rather than a single common cause.
Safe journey to Mars
This work highlights the importance of an individualized approach to astronaut health. Understanding gender differences will enable the development of better protocols for protecting men’s vision and monitoring women’s cerebrospinal fluid during long-duration expeditions.
To process the enormous array of data, scientists used the University of Florida’s powerful HiPerGator supercomputer, which enabled high-speed analysis. This research not only reveals new details about human adaptation to space, but also paves the way for safer missions into deep space.
Earlier, we reported on which animals would live alongside colonists on the Moon and Mars.
According to phys.org
