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How Tiny Worms Could Help Humans Colonize Mars
Pierre Bezukhov writes "The roundworm has about 20,000 protein-coding genes — nearly as many as humans, who have about 23,000. Furthermore, there is a lot of overlap between our genome and theirs, with many genes performing roughly the same functions in both species. Launching C. elegans roundworms to Mars would allow scientists to see just how dangerous the high radiation levels found in deep space — and on the Red Planet's surface — are to animal life. 'Worms allow us to detect changes in growth, development, reproduction and behavior in response to environmental conditions such as toxins or in response to deep space missions,' said Nathaniel Szewczyk of the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. 'Given the high failure rate of Mars missions, use of worms allows us to safely and relatively cheaply test spacecraft systems prior to manned missions,' he adds."
There's a reason C. elegans isn't used in basic cell cycle research as much as yeast. It doesn't continually replace its cells at maturity. Consequentially, DNA-damaging environmental conditions have a much lower chance of affecting them at maturity than humans.
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is a single kudzu seed
I'm seeing a Kevin Bacon movie in the making here.
How are they going to survive the sub freezing weather on Mars? And I'm guessing the frost line is pretty deep as well.
Jack of all trades,master of none
Wait in welcome to our Martian roundworm overlords.
In Soviet Russia worms colonize YOU!
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
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It's about time we launched terraforming bacteria at all the planets and moons in the solar system.
Where, if the bacteria didn't outright die, it would proceed at a pace which would make glaciers appear as a blur.
That's why we send a shit-ton of them.
I believe the military refers to this practice as "Accuracy by Volume."
An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
Hmm, it seems to me that although the idea of sending some biological system to mars might be fruitful in the near term it misses some pretty important ethical questions. Specifically contamination, what if there is some life form on mars? How would the process of decay of the worms effect such a ecology by propagating organic earth native compounds onto martian soil? It seems quiet obvious to me that radiation results in mutation and destruction of organic life especially if exposed for long durations. I am assuming they might even be genetically modified to hold up to such harsh conditions and see how such manipulation aids in reducing the environmental impact on the biological systems.
Overall, the missing component is realizing that mars has its own history, its own progress and adding earth forms like these into the system might perturb or even destroy any evidence living life on mars.
In Soviet Russia worms colonize YOU!
I think you meant to say In the Amazon Basin worms colonize YOU!
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The Spice Must Flow
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But I'm not sure there are plenty of agencies or companies willing to spend billions of dollars on the necessary equipment to sustain a human en route to Mars only to have the experiment conclude with, "yep, it does seem that the conditions on Mars kill humans."
If they are going to send parasitic worms with complex dna into space, I still think they should send politicians and *IAA lawyers instead. By most prevailing opinions, these subhuman creatures would service mankind far more as biological radio dosemeters than in their natural political niches here on earth. Yes, the expense of sending them would be much greater than sending the genetically and biologically similar roundworms, but this is FOR SCIENCE!
"The miserable human has about 23,000 protein-coding genes — nearly as many as imperialist cyborg space monkeys, who have about 26,000. Furthermore, there is a lot of overlap between our genome and theirs, with many genes performing roughly the same functions in both species, despite the clear inferiority of human garbage. Launching imprisoned humans to Alpha Centauri would allow cyborg monkey scientists to see just how dangerous the high radiation levels found in deep space are to animal life. 'Incarcerated humans allow us to detect changes in growth, development, reproduction and behavior in response to environmental conditions such as toxins or in response to deep space missions,' said Oohoohahah Pooflinger of the University of Bananaland in Cyborgia. 'Given the high failure rate of Alpha Centauri missions, use of sniveling, pathetic humans allows us to safely and relatively cheaply test spacecraft systems prior to monkeyed missions,' he adds."
In my opinion, their proteins are irrelevant to the experiment. C. Elegans lives two to three weeks. Even under perfect circumstances, the trip to Mars is going to take longer than the average lifespan of these worms. That means the worms have to reproduce in order for any to reach Mars alive. The radiation might not kill them by damaging their proteins in that short time, but it could sterilize them (they're hermaphrodites, each worm can impregnate itself, but must have working reproductive organs).
What do we know about long-term effects of interplanetary radiation on humans?
Chronic and acute radiation exposure have been studied. Most animals have cell repair mechanisms that make chronic exposure much less hazardous, up to a point. Interplanetary radiation between Earth and Mars orbit is probably closer to acute levels, except that blocking Alpha radiation and some Beta is possible with just a sheet of aluminum.
I bet the worms will survive for at least two generations (4-6 weeks approx.) but die out before food and oxygen are exhausted.
More importantly, I think people would survive the trip, but suffer from being sterile long before cancer becomes an issue. That means any people living on Mars would only be visiting, unless they spent their lives below the surface and each generation became parents as young as possible.
Worms are also messy. The cabin in a shuttle, rocket or space station are kept pristine by comparison. People dispose of their waste. The decay of the worm soil might raise the pressure in their small container. That might be a problem if it's a sophisticated design with an O2 inlet and CO2 outlet/scrubber. Higher air pressure could prevent oxygen from being fed in, and the worms then suffocate.
I can see us sending round worms to a planet with life. The native life trying to figure out how this space ship with the only life form on it being little worms. How did they fly the spaceship? How to communicate with them? :)
I'm always amazed when Anonymous Coward is able to solve, by thought alone, problems that all of NASA is only able to solve by tedious experimentation, and the collection and analysis of empirical data.