In zero gravity, the human body begins to change
The brain, like the heart, is one of the main organs of the human body. It consists of many areas, each of which has specific tasks. Take, for example, the cerebellum - this small area in the back of the brain has taken responsibility for coordinating our movements. The human brain tends to adapt to the surrounding conditions, that is, on Earth it works on the same principle, and in space begins to function completely differently. Recently, scientists studied the brains of eight Russian cosmonauts who spent a long time on the International Space Station and returned to Earth seven months ago. It turned out that in the conditions of weightlessness in their brains there were significant changes. The innovations that have taken place cannot be called bad - in a sense, their capabilities have surpassed the skills of ordinary people.
The results of the scientific work were shared scientific with reference to . The study involved eight cosmonauts who spent six months aboard the International Space Station. Seven months have passed since their return to Earth. During this time, all the changes that usually occur in the human body in space, had to disappear. Researchers led by Professor Steven Jillings decided to look at what happens to their brains after a while of rest. The tomography, which allows you to look at the internal organs of a person without an autopsy, showed that some changes survived even after returning to Earth.
Most changes occur in the brain
The good news is that in weightlessness, astronauts have become more agile. The bad news is that they have become worse to see. All this happened because for a long time people were in new conditions for the body. Naturally, their organs began to adapt to an unusual environment. On the International Space Station, crew members are in weightlessness and it is important for them to be agile. Imagine that you learn to walk on a rope for a long time and over time you start to do it perfectly. Then walking on the usual ground you will obviously be very easy. The same thing happens with astronauts - in weightlessness they are always on the alert and it is difficult for them, and after returning to Earth, everything seems very simple.
To keep the muscles in good condition, the ISS crew regularly performs physical exercises
The image below shows the cerebellum in green. This area of the brain is responsible for coordinating movements - the more active it is, the better the person maintains balance. Apparently, in the conditions of weightlessness, the cerebellum of astronauts actively trains, because in tomographic images it was very different from the same area of the brain of ordinary people. That is, the space environment positively influenced the coordination of astronauts' movements and this effect was long-term. It is not yet clear to scientists how long it will disappear and whether it will disappear at all. Perhaps they will be able to find out in future studies.
The cerebellum is shown in green
The cosmonauts who took part in the scientific work told that they had them in space. There is a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. As you know, inside a person flows a huge amount of fluid and in the conditions of weightlessness it begins to move not as usual. In 2012, scientists conducted a survey among space station crew members about their visual acuity and about 60% of respondents said that on board the station they are starting to see worse. In most cases, astronauts develop farsightedness, that is, one poorly seen at close range. Scientists believe that this is due to the accumulation of fluids in the eye area, which causes swelling. This phenomenon is called neurocular syndrome and NASA sometimes even sends some crew members glasses to improve vision.
Some ISS crew members are forced to work wearing glasses
It is impossible to say exactly how long the cosmonauts' eyesight is deteriorating. It depends on the individual characteristics of each organism. In general, many cosmonauts initially have excellent vision, because otherwise they would not be able to take a profession. So, even after being in weightlessness and returning to Earth, the vision of some of them is more acute than that of many of us.
In fact, the fact that the human body changes so much in response to changes in environmental conditions is very interesting. I would like to know what features will get the first colonizers of Mars. At the moment, scientists can only put forward theories, and we will know the truth only after 2024. After all, this year the founder of spaceX plans to send the first people to Mars. Recently, he even organized a meeting with experts in the field of study of the Red Planet, what can be read .
