The Genetically Perfect Astronaut
Space is an entity that has fascinated all of mankind since the ancient ages. Be it the Greeks, the Babylonians, or the Mayans of 3000 B.C., or the Indian mathematician-astronomer Aryabhata, to famous scientists like Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawkins all have given so many enthralling concepts that have helped us in understanding probably what is only a drop of knowledge in this vast universe. That is why many astronauts are being sent to space to live there. But being an astronaut is definitely not easy as these astronauts face many health problems while living in space. The astronauts get exposed to various kinds of space radiations present in different levels of the atmosphere like ionising radiations in lower earth orbits from three primary radiation sources- galactic cosmic rays, solar particle events and electrons and protons trapped in the Van Allen Belts exterior to the spacecraft. They also get exposed to different radiations in deep space, moon and mars as outside earth’s magnetic field, the high nucleon energy (HZE) charged particles of galactic cosmic rays and the solar energetic particles play a major role in affecting the dosimetry ( measurement of ionizing radiation in a place or a person) of the astronaut. Apart from this, they are also affected by solar ultraviolet radiation. These types of exposure induce various kinds of damages especially comprising of DNA. This can include base damage, single-strand breaks, double-strand breaks- which is the most unforgiving form of DNA lesion. Cells repair these breaks almost instantly but errors happen, thus creating mutations. This has been investigated on the DNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using the CRISPR-Cas9 to see if DNA repair procedures were different in space than on earth. Apart from the details, the astronauts face many other negative effects on their body such as weightlessness due to muscle dystrophy, deterioration of skeleton- also called spaceflight osteopenia, decelerating of cardiovascular functions, and reduced production of red blood cells, balance disorders, eyesight conditions and changes in the immune system. This is what happens when we adapt space into humans. But what if we adapt humans for living in space? Yes, that’s right, we are talking about genetically engineered astronauts. Sounds crazy and a little lawfully unethical. But think about it in this way- if we had to inhabit another planet (probably mars) when the earth comes to an end? Sounds fascinating right? Well, while this topic is under heavy research and will take decades to remove all risks and for the process to become actually ethical and safe, there is certainly an idea of using the CRISPR gene-editing technique to establish foreign genes into the human body to make it more resistant to radiations and adaptive to the space conditions. There are a few ways scientists have thought to alter future astronauts. One way is epigenetic engineering, in which they basically will turn on or off specific genes. Another even more bizarre way they are researching is combining the DNA of another species, namely tardigrades, to make them more impervious to radiation. There is also another gene called p53, which is involved in preventing cancer and is known as the ‘protector of the genome’. The animals who have this gene in abundance are elephants- that’s why they rarely get cancer. Another fascinating trait was found in the genes of the Tibetans which allows them to function on top of mountains, where there is very low oxygen. When transferred to astronauts, this will also help economically and help beat the shortage of oxygen cylinders. But all of these genetic changes will require a mad amount of research and patience to render them successful and also least damaging to the astronauts. This concept, however fascinating is ethically questionable for a reason. The main factor being that genetically modified astronauts can become a different species, and may not be able to live on earth. They will become extra-terrestrial beings (which while being highly exciting for us mundanes can be harmful to the lives of astronauts) and this might be concerning for a lot of people including the astronauts themselves. The other option is waiting for evolution, but how long do we wait? As the neuroscientist Robert Hampson said- “the question is, how much of a boost do we give evolution?”
