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- The mice sent to the International Space Station returned with more muscle than they had when they arrived thanks to a new treatment.
- Loss of muscle mass in space affects both humans and mice, and this new treatment could help prevent muscle wasting during long journeys in space.
- Trips to Mars could be more bearable if humans could maintain their muscles during the trip.
In December 2019, a SpaceX rocket sent a spacecraft to the International Space Station. She had a lot of things on board, but one of her most treasured pieces of cargo was a group of 40 little mice. Not all mice were created equal, as some had been genetically enhanced to maximize their muscle mass.
The experiment was simple, aimed at testing whether the genetically engineered “mighty mice” could retain their muscle mass and compare them to control mice, which the researchers assumed would lose a significant amount of muscle due to the effects of microgravity. While in space, some of the control mice received the same treatment as the mice already on Earth. Now the mice have returned to our planet, and the results are, well, pretty amazing.
As researchers report in a procedures of the National Academy of SciencesNot only did the mice that received the muscle treatment before launch return as well as when they left, the mice that were treated in space returned with larger muscles than when they left. Mice that did not receive treatment lost up to 18% of their muscle and bone mass, according to the researchers.
It may seem like a strange experiment, but it has real implications for the future of human space travel. You see, humans tend to lose a lot of muscle mass when in space. They do their best to maintain it, and the International Space Station has a host of endurance exercise equipment to help residents maintain their muscles during their trips to the orbiting laboratory, but space travelers inevitably come back weaker than when were.
If we look to the future, where humans may one day travel to Mars and beyond, we will need a much better way for those travelers to maintain their muscles during the journey. Nobody wants to get to Mars after months of space travel only to stumble on the surface. That’s where the treatment the mice received could play a role for humans, but only if it is shown to be safe.
“We are years away. But that’s the way it is when you move from mouse studies to human studies, ”said Dr. Emily Germain-Lee, study co-author, in a statement.
It will be a decade or more before humans embark on a mission anywhere other than the Moon, so scientists still have time to solve problems and prepare for when that day inevitably arrives. For now, we’ll have to be satisfied with some unusually polished mice.
Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in virtual reality, wearable devices, smartphones, and future technology. Most recently, Mike served as a technology editor at The Daily Dot and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and many other print and web media. His love of reporting is second only to his addiction to games.
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