In the name of science, former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly recently shoved himself into the top of a rocket, accelerated to 17,500 mph (28,200 km/h), and fell around Earth for 340 days - nearly an entire year.
The lack of gravity, radiation exposure, Kelly's diet, and other facts of life in orbit affected his body in significant ways - including, as NASA is learning now, even his genetic blueprint.
The Twin Study, which is still in progress, uses Scott Kelly's identical twin brother and fellow former astronaut, Mark Kelly, to unmask the subtle but important effects of long-duration space travel on the human body.
Business Insider's Dina Spector reported on some of the most fascinating preliminary results of the study, which NASA released at the end of January, including bodily changes caused by the possible existence of a 'space gene'.
Here are eight other biological oddities that happen to your body if you're in space for a year:
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
More from Business Insider:
- 10 things in tech you need to know today
- These are the 5 leaders in the self-driving-car race (GOOG, GOOGL, GM, F)
- THE AI IN TRANSPORTATION REPORT: How automakers can use artificial intelligence to cut costs, open new revenue streams, and adapt to the digital age (TM, LYFT)
- More than 60 people are dead in Japan in the wake of the powerful Typhoon Hagibis
- Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was paid $500,000 to consult for indicted associate's firm Fraud Guarantee
