Does the Heart Age Faster in Space?

Living in space is not as simple as living on Earth. The environment in space is harmful for humans. Astronauts experience weightlessness and are exposed to dangerous radiation. On top of that, astronauts live in a tiny area, far from their loved ones. All our organs are harmed by these factors. The heart, for example, starts to age much quicker in space than on Earth. This means that astronauts have a higher risk of heart disease after going to space. It is therefore important that we investigate why this happens so that we can prevent it. In the past, these studies were based on experiments using animals or humans. Today, we can create mini-hearts in the lab for our experiments instead. In this article, we will explain how we make mini-hearts and how they help us understand and prevent the heart’s aging in space.