![[UCSD Winning Article] The Accelerated Aging of Stem Cells in Astronauts and How It can Impact the Whole Body](https://morningsignout.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-21-032226.jpg)
Writer: Jesica Church
Editor: Jacob Tran
Graphic Editor: Audrey Tinh
All animals age on Earth; this is not news to anyone. It is an inevitable part of life that cells age and die. However, some cells can multiply and divide. This regenerating aspect plays a crucial part in the continuation of life. One type of cell that aids with this is the stem cells. This type of cell regenerates but it also has the ability to become different types of specialized cells (this is what makes them unique). For example, if your body needs blood cells, stem cells will replicate and turn into blood cells. This helps the human body repair wounds and fight diseases. If, for instance, a person injures their knee, stem cells will multiply to help heal the wound. When humans are young, their stem cells can regenerate quickly. Unfortunately, as people age, these stem cells become slower in their regeneration process and often die, which leads to a higher risk of developing long-term diseases.
Whilst the aging of stem cells in humans on Earth is undeniably a problem, recent research suggests that space can cause rapid acceleration of the stem cell aging process. On September 4, 2025, researchers from the University of California, San Diego published a study describing the increased aging process of stem cells in spaceflight. These researchers utilized Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cell-tracking nano chemical systems. They were placed in four SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services missions to the International Space Station (ISS) to be able to track stem cell aging in real-time.
The results of the research indicated premature aging of stem cells and that the ability to make new cells declined. Due to microgravity and cosmic radiation, the cells were shown to become more active short-term but less functional over time (causing the cells to burn out and lose most of their function to make new ones). The stem cells were also shown to have increased DNA damage and stress in the cell’s mitochondria (the part of the cell that generates most of the cell’s energy).
What’s worse, this cell degradation can cause long-term diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. That is why older people are more likely to develop these types of diseases.
Ultimately, spaceflights and missions can lead astronauts to develop weakened immune systems, muscles, and even dangerous diseases like cancer. This not only will damage their bodies but will also slow down productivity of their missions in space or even make them unable to perform entirely. If NASA or other space companies want to continue spaceflight with the goal of longer missions, countermeasures to the aging of stem cells will need to be implemented.
