Antibody production gets confused during long-term spaceflight
Thursday, May 19, 2011 - 13:30
in Biology & Nature
The trip to Mars just got more difficult since researchers discovered that antibodies that fight off disease might become compromised during long-term space flights. A new report shows that antibodies produced in space are less effective than those produced on Earth. This reduced effectiveness of antibodies makes astronauts more susceptible to illness, increasing the danger posed by bacteria and viruses likely to coexist with wayfaring astronauts.
