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:
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
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.