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To Survive Deep Space, Astronauts May Owe a Debt to Microscopic Worms
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To Survive Deep Space, Astronauts May Owe a Debt to Microscopic Worms

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A fluorescing C. elegans worm. Credit - University of Exeter

Living long-term on the Moon means surviving the devastating toll that deep space takes on a human body. Astronauts in low gravity environments suffer muscle and bone loss, vision-altering fluid shifts, and heavy radiation exposure - all of which are incredibly hazardous to our biology. So, to help future lunar explorers survive, a new crew just arrived at the International Space Station (ISS). That might not sound surprising, except this crew is composed of worms.