{"id":270566,"date":"2026-02-06T10:47:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/270566\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:47:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:47:07","slug":"nasa-conducted-study-where-one-identical-twin-was-sent-into-space-for-a-year-to-see-how-hed-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/270566\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA conducted study where one identical twin was sent into space for a year to see how he\u2019d change"},"content":{"rendered":"

To understand what space really does to the human body, NASA<\/a> sent one identical twin into orbit for a year while his brother stayed on Earth.<\/p>\n

Same DNA. Same astronaut training. Two lives split by one extreme environment.<\/p>\n

One body lived in microgravity, radiation, isolation, and a rigid routine, while the other stayed grounded, moving through a far messier, more familiar world.<\/p>\n

What followed became one of the most detailed human spaceflight experiments ever attempted.<\/p>\n

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What actually happened when one identical twin lived in space for a year?<\/p>\n

When Scott Kelly launched to the International Space Station<\/a> in 2015, he began a 340-day mission unlike any before it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, stayed on Earth, giving researchers a rare, real-world baseline for comparison.<\/p>\n

More than 80 NASA scientists tracked both men before, during, and after the mission, measuring how Scott\u2019s body changed relative to Mark\u2019s over the same period.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t about space effects in isolation, but what shifted specifically because one twin left the planet.<\/p>\n

\"NASA<\/a>NASA <\/p>\n

The differences appeared quickly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In orbit, Scott experienced large changes<\/a> in gene expression, with more than 1,000 genes altering activity soon after arrival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark\u2019s gene expression changed too, but far less dramatically, suggesting Scott\u2019s body was reacting directly to microgravity and radiation rather than everyday life.<\/p>\n

The immune system followed the same pattern.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott\u2019s immune-related genes became far more active, as if his body was on constant alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mark, despite a more varied and unpredictable life on Earth, showed fewer extreme immune responses.<\/p>\n

One of the strangest findings involved telomeres, the protective caps on chromosomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott\u2019s lengthened in space, while Mark\u2019s followed the expected aging pattern.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"NASA<\/a>NASA <\/p>\n

After Scott returned, his telomeres shortened rapidly, with some ending up shorter than before the mission.<\/p>\n

Radiation exposure<\/a> also set them apart, with Scott showing more DNA damage and repair activity than his Earth-bound twin.<\/p>\n

Most of those changes faded after he returned.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Within six months, more than 91 percent of Scott\u2019s gene expression shifts had returned to baseline, closely matching Mark\u2019s again.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Scott later said it took about eight months before he felt fully recovered.<\/p>\n

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The NASA twins study reshaped plans for deep space missions<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s value wasn\u2019t shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was clarity.<\/p>\n

Humans didn\u2019t evolve for microgravity or constant radiation, but the research showed how adaptable the body could be.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most effects were reversible, which matters for future Moon and Mars missions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"NASA<\/a>NASA <\/p>\n

At the same time, the study flagged risks that may build over time, including cardiovascular strain, DNA damage, vision problems, and cancer risk.<\/p>\n

The findings, later published in Science, are now a reference point for long-duration spaceflight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There were no biological deal-breakers, just clear warnings about what needs monitoring and mitigation.<\/p>\n

NASA set out to see what would happen if two identical humans lived in radically different worlds for a year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What they learned is that space leaves a mark, but not one that stops us from exploring farther.<\/p>\n

The full report on the NASA identical twin study can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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