Living in Space Changes Your DNA, NASA Finds.

[pallidin]

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/news/a28818/living-in-space-changes-your-dna-nasa-finds/

Two years ago, NASA began a unique experiment to determine what happens to the human body when it's exposed to the zero-gravity environment of space for a long period of time. To do this, they recruited a set of twins, Scott and Mark Kelly, and sent Scott to the International Space Station for a year while Mark stayed on the ground.

When Scott got back, he and his brother were subjected to a battery of tests designed to compare their bodies in every possible way, to see what changed. Some of those results are now being released, including a new discovery about how zero gravity affected Scott Kelly at the level of his DNA.

Source: NASA

[WelshRed]

So is this Space affecting the body or the body adapting to space? In others words Evolution.

[Vox]

Not to be pedantic Welsh, but you are probably referring to a *mutation* rather than evolution. If for whatever reason our offspring all die out but Scott Kelly's offspring survive as a consequence of those genes, then the *remaining* (Scott Kelly's offspring) human population will have been considered to have evolved as a consequence of natural selection.

[Kenemet]

9 hours ago, WelshRed said:

So is this Space affecting the body or the body adapting to space? In others words Evolution.

Well, it ages you faster than here on Earth.  Soooo... not a positive adaptation.

The twins, as far as I know, are not planning any new children for their families so we wouldn't really know if any mutations occurred in the sperm.

[WelshRed]

12 hours ago, Vox said:

Not to be pedantic Welsh, but you are probably referring to a *mutation* rather than evolution. If for whatever reason our offspring all die out but Scott Kelly's offspring survive as a consequence of those genes, then the *remaining* (Scott Kelly's offspring) human population will have been considered to have evolved as a consequence of natural selection.

Mutations are essential to evolution. Without mutation evolution cannot occur. 

[Almighty Evan]

7 hours ago, Kenemet said:

Well, it ages you faster than here on Earth.  Soooo... not a positive adaptation.

A shame. Heinlein had it the other way.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars

[paperdyer]

Well methyl group isn't a chemical, it's a group on a chemical.  There must have been some type of methylated substance the astronaut constantly came in contact with that easily reacted with his body chemistry. Methyl groups are the reason you can't drink methanol (wood alcohol).  Some people claim you can make it drinkable by filtering it through bread, but I think those people have already drunk too much of it  Does anyone know what air mixture is in a space stay situation?

[Kenemet]

5 hours ago, paperdyer said:

Well methyl group isn't a chemical, it's a group on a chemical.  There must have been some type of methylated substance the astronaut constantly came in contact with that easily reacted with his body chemistry. Methyl groups are the reason you can't drink methanol (wood alcohol).  Some people claim you can make it drinkable by filtering it through bread, but I think those people have already drunk too much of it  Does anyone know what air mixture is in a space stay situation?

Actually, your body can produce methyl groups.  In fact, we need them to function: http://www.enzymestuff.com/methylation.htm

[FlyingAngel]

10 hours ago, WelshRed said:

Mutations are essential to evolution. Without mutation evolution cannot occur. 

Evolution doesn't exist anymore in today's world. It's about how much money you can make to then impregnate ladies or die alone in poverty.