New Research on Muscle Loss Suggests Humans Will Really Suffer on Mars
https://gizmodo.com/mars-doesnt-have-enough-gravity-to-keep-humans-healthy-study-suggests-2000733286
New Research on Muscle Loss Suggests Humans Will Really Suffer on Mars
https://gizmodo.com/mars-doesnt-have-enough-gravity-to-keep-humans-healthy-study-suggests-2000733286
22 Comments
The article says that the ISS crew needs to workout 2 hours a day to stave off muscle deterioration.
The gravity of Mars should just mean that humans will have to work out a mandatory hour a day or something. Doesn’t really seem like a big deal to be honest.
The real issue would be if the weaker gravity causes other health problems
Finally some experimental data on this.
The Mars figure if it applies to human seems like something that could be exercised out of in the short term. That wouldn’t work for any theoretical colony with children.
Idk man Bobby Draper was pretty ripped
Is musk still going, can we send him a couple of elastic band to take with him
Can’t they just wear weighted lead vests? It would prevent muscle atrophy and shield them from radiation.
Not to worry, since this isn’t going to happen anytime in the foreseeable future.
It should be noted that despite exercising for two hours a day, people on ISS are still basket cases when they return to Earth, unable to walk on their own and transported in wheelchairs or gurneys from their space capsules, and having to undergo extensive physical rehab to recover function.
The Mars Colony fantasy has been kicking around since the 1950s and remains sci-fi fantasy.
“In April 2023, 23 of the mice returned to Earth alive, and the researchers dissected them to look for changes to their grip strength and signs of atrophy.”
Someone skip a step?
Can’t get there anyway. Its never going to happen.
Ah, I won’t bother with it then.
It’s almost like every system in our bodies evolved to live on this planet
I like the idea of eventually, like, sending some kind of automated seed/DNA vault to Mars to act as a “backup” for us, but there’s almost nothing I can think of that would be so catastrophic to Earth that would make Mars a better option.
Earth on its *worst* day, from nuclear fallout or a massive asteroid hitting it or the biggest solar flare ever, would still be easier to live on than Mars. Earth would need to like turn into grey goo or something, for Mars to be a better candidate to live on.
I’ll be pretty shocked if a human sets foot on Mars in my lifetime.
Humanity isn’t getting to Mars any time soon.
From the article:
> “This revealed that even a low gravity level of 0.33 g was enough to stop their muscles from deteriorating completely, although the rodents’ muscle fibers did change in composition.”
From this, it’s within the bounds of reason that an exercise regimen, regular activity, and/or wearing weighted vests would alleviate remaining problems.
Anyway, this experiment is far from conclusive, given how very frequently mice studies don’t translate to humans. Only time in the environment will tell for sure.
No one is going to Mars anytime soon. Actually love this because it makes Elon look so fucking stupid.
Bone density will also suffer tremendously.
It’s almost as if we were made to live on this planet. Maybe instead of trying to terraform another planet; WE SHOULD FREAKIN TAKE CARE OF THIS ONE!!!
The skies above Venus are a much better option anyway.
I don’t care, there’s nothing to do on Mars anyway.
I’d be absolutely gutted if the best we could do by the time we could have a domed colony on Mars was a fucking Starship as the craft.
Or maybe it’s a joke about the time that ship will finally be serviceable.
Man, if only there were some very affluent folks who either don’t benefit society or cause net harm who also wanted to get off planet that we could send to validate our hypotheses on this…
Honestly the gravity is the least of our worries there. In many ways Mars is more dangerous than the moon. Toxic atmosphere so thin your blood would simultaneously freeze and boil without a space suit, toxic regolith, radiation, just enough wind to cover everything in dust. And just enough atmosphere to make take off and landing difficult. All while being 6 months to 2 years away from supplies or rescue.
The moon is no picnic but we know it’s challenges and it’s just a few days from Earth if things go sideways.