Did space alter an astronaut's DNA?

Did space alter an astronaut's DNA?

We're not quite ready to announce the Birthrights Unlimited site to the world yet. But we'd be remiss if we didn't take note of the DNA news item that was all over the mainstream media this week.

A number of major news outlets that should have known better, including CNN, NPR and USA Today, reported earlier this week that astronaut Scott Kelly's space flight more than a year ago altered his DNA in fundamental ways.

The level of science literacy in the mainstream press has always been exceedingly low, and this week was indicative of just how bad things are.

So what happened with Kelly's 'space genes'?

Let's begin with the fascination over the genetic composition of astronaut Kelly and his twin brother, Mark. As this article on Ars Technica points out, identical twins' DNA are not 100 percent identical:

First and foremost, the Kelly twins' DNA is not identical. Every time a cell divides, it typically picks up a mutation or two. Further mutations happen simply because of the stresses of life, which expose us all to some radiation and DNA-damaging chemicals, no matter how careful we are about diet and sunscreen. Over the years, the Kelly twins' cells have undoubtedly picked up collections of distinctive mutations.

And DNA, of course, is only one factor that contributes to our phenotype:

Our environments influence gene activity all the time—our bodies change gene activity to respond to everything from hostile pathogens to the time of day. All of this happens without changes in our DNA sequences; instead, the activity is largely the product of changes in the proteins that stick to DNA and regulate nearby genes, along with the biochemical consequences of those changes.

Live Science mistakenly claimed that hundreds of "space genes" were altered in Kelly's body. Nonsense.

Business Insider claimed that space "permanently changed 7% of his DNA." Outright false.

CNN reported on "the transformation of 7% of Scott's DNA." Wrong. The news outlet confused a person's genes, which remain largely unchanged, with alterations in gene activity, which change all the time.

As Ars Technica's science editor John Timmer points out, "a 10 minute phone call to a biologist" could have helped these journalists get the facts straight.

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