The new era of space travel comes with an unusual health risk: dormant viruses reawakening inside the human body. Stressors unique to space, ranging from microgravity to cosmic radiation, can cause latent viruses, such as herpes and Epstein-Barr, to reactivate. This phenomenon poses a significant threat to long-duration missions, prompting a race to understand and mitigate the danger for future astronauts.
The Dormant Viruses That Wake Up in Astronauts
Because there’s a good chance that right now, you have at least one virus that’s been hiding inside of you for years, lying dormant.
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