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otter

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The ISS is 'too clean', and it could be making astronauts sick (www.abc.net.au)

submitted 2 days ago by otter to c/[email protected]

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Summary from elsewhere

The International Space Station (|SS) has low microbial diversity, which could lead to astronaut health issues, according to a study published in Cell.

Researchers found that the microbial communities resemble those found in sanitized environments like hospitals rather than natural settings.

Co-senior study author Pieter Dorrestein explains that increasing microbial exposure could improve astronaut health during long-term space travel.

The study suggests incorporating natural elements, like soil, into the ISS to enhance microbial diversity and astronaut well-being.

The study in question:

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(25)00108-4

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[–] otter 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

One benefit we couldn't get from robots is the disease and medical knowledge we've gained from human space travel

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/about/everyday-benefits-of-space-exploration/improving-health-care.asp

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9833174/

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/space-station-leads-to-breakthroughs-in-human-health-on-earth/

Some of these could have been done without space travel for sure, but it's hard to predict what we'll learn before we do things

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Totally. I think there’s plenty to learn from human space flight. I just think we need to put it lower on the priority list for the moment, unless we can get it better funded.