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.
Related Posts
How Fire, Not Spears, Wiped Out America’s Giants
Researchers at the La Brea Tar Pits discovered that a combination of climate change and massive, human-sparked wildfires—not just hunting—led to the extinction of North America’s megafauna.
Worried about your child’s sleep? Keep screens out of bedrooms and limit iPads before bed
Cassandra Pattinson, The University of Queensland Sleep can be one of the trickiest things for families with little…
Several companies are testing brain implants – why is there so much attention swirling around Neuralink? Two professors unpack the ethical issues
Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to transform some people’s lives, but they raise a host of ethical issues,…
Good Sleep Habits May Support Heart Health and Increase Life Expectancy, Says New Study
According to research presented at the American College of Cardiology‘s Annual Scientific Session, high-quality sleep can support heart…