Humans are hoping to colonize Mars in the near future, with NASA aiming to reach the Red Planet by 2040. But what will the long-haul space missions needed to get there do to the human body?
Our species evolved to thrive on the Earth, within its protective atmosphere and gravitational pull, not to survive in the unique cosmic environments beyond our planet. Some scientists have even suggested that visiting other planets may require humanity to tweak its DNA to boost our resilience against the dangers of spaceflight.
