When exploring space, astronauts experience a significant rise in their body temperature, a new study reveals.
Space travel is a dream for many of us. But the reality is probably much less fun for the astronauts. Indeed, weightlessness defies all the laws of gravity, so astronauts must completely modify the most common lifestyle habits such as eating, sleeping or even moving. And according to a recent study published in the magazine Scientific Reports, their body temperature would also change.
The research was carried out by a team of scientists from the Charité clinic attached to the Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The authors of the study have developed a device to accurately measure the body temperature of astronauts when they travel in space. The researchers followed the journey of the astronauts of the International Space Station (ISS).” We have developed a new technology that combines a skin surface temperature sensor with a heat flow sensor, capable of measuring even minor variations in arterial blood temperature », explains Dr. Hanns-Christian Gunga, deputy director of the Berlin Institute of Physiology and lead author of the study.
“Space Fever”
Scientists took astronauts’ temperatures before, during and after their stay on the International Space Station. The researchers observed that the body temperature of space explorers increased by around 1°C under the effect of weightlessness, i.e. 1 degree more than normal body temperature (37°C). This measurement can climb to 40°C (or even more) when astronauts make physical efforts, underlines Dr. Gunga. The increase occurs approximately after 2 and a half months of travel, says the doctor.
This “space fever” is explained in particular by the fact that the evacuation of perspiration (which makes it possible to regulate the temperature of the body) of a human body subjected to weightlessness is done more slowly than on Earth. . This phenomenon also explains why the thermometer climbs more after physical exercise, deduce the authors of the study. ” When it is subject to the laws of weightlessness, it is extremely difficult for our body to eliminate excess heat: the transfer of heat between the body and its environment becomes much more difficult in these conditions. », says Dr. Gunga.
However, hyperthermia (increased body temperature) can have significant consequences on physical and cognitive performance, and can sometimes even be life-threatening, scientists warn. ” We hope these new findings will have a positive impact on the health and well-being of astronauts on future long-duration space missions. », says Dr. Gunga in view of the results. The lead author of the study also believes that these findings raise questions about the evolution of our optimal body temperature: “Our results provide insights that may help determine how our body temperature will continue to adapt to climate change on Earth », adds the doctor.
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