Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 4 hrs ago
Simulated weightlessness enlarged cell nuclei but left DNA layout largely unchanged
Researchers at New York University simulated weightlessness in human cells using a machine that gently tumbled them in different directions.
The team studied HeLa cells, a widely used human cell line, and compared them with cells kept still and cells exposed to stronger fluid currents.
After 24 hours, the cells’ nuclei had grown larger, but the DNA inside largely kept its usual physical layout and motion.
This matters because spaceflight has been linked to changes in chromosomes and gene activity, while cosmic radiation makes it difficult to isolate gravity’s effects in orbit.
The experiment suggests DNA’s physical order may not depend on gravity over this period, though the study used simulated rather than actual spaceflight conditions.
The findings address one day of exposure; the available information does not say what researchers plan to do next.
Researchers found that simulated weightlessness enlarged the nuclei of human cells while leaving the DNA’s layout largely unchanged.
The cells were kept on Earth and exposed to simulated microgravity for 24 hours.
Alexandra Zidovska of New York University led the research.
The team used a random positioning machine to make gravity’s pull average out to a small fraction of normal.
- Who
- Alexandra Zidovska and her team at New York University.
- What
- They studied how simulated weightlessness affected human cell nuclei and DNA.
- When
- The cells were exposed to simulated microgravity for 24 hours.
- Where
- In a cell incubator on Earth.
- Why
- To investigate gravity’s role in the genome’s organization and function.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The team tested rotation patterns by watching tiny beads drift through water-filled dishes.
The chosen rotation pattern reached simulated weightlessness.
The cells’ nuclei had grown larger, while the DNA largely kept its layout and motion.
- Exposure period
- 24 hours
- Cell line
- HeLa
- Machine
- Random positioning machine
- Rotation rate
- Each of two nested frames completed a full turn every 8.5 seconds
- Residual pull
- About one-tenth of Earth’s gravity
What people are saying
We wanted to know what gravity’s role is in the genome’s organization and function here on Earth.