Key facts
- The thickness and structure of the nuclear envelope remained unchanged after 24 hours in simulated microgravity, indicating minimal impact on these traits.
- The study concludes that the human genome’s physical organization and dynamics remain stable after 24 hours of simulated microgravity exposure.
- Researchers caution that subtle changes observed after 24 hours could amplify over longer exposures, potentially affecting astronauts on missions to the Moon or Mars.
- NYU researchers used a Random Positioning Machine (RPM) to simulate microgravity by rotating cell cultures along two axes, minimizing fluid flow interference.
Researchers from NYU’s Center for Soft Matter Research reported in Science Advances on Oct. 17, 2026 that a day of simulated microgravity — the condition of weak gravity experienced in orbit — increases human cell nucleus size without altering the genome or damaging DNA.
The study found that microgravity enlarges the cell nucleus, suggesting that gravity normally compresses it. The thickness and structure of the nuclear envelope, the membrane surrounding the cell nucleus, remained unchanged after 24 hours in simulated microgravity, indicating minimal impact on these traits. According to the study, the human genome, the complete set of human DNA, maintains its physical organization and dynamics following 24 hours of simulated microgravity exposure.
The researchers observed DNA damage in cells that experienced fluid flows, while cells exposed only to simulated microgravity showed no such damage. Researchers at NYU employed a Random Positioning Machine, a device that simulates microgravity by rotating samples, to spin cell cultures on two axes, reducing fluid flow interference. The research seeks to isolate gravity’s impact on human genes and find out how the genome works in weightlessness, filling a gap in genomic studies.
Scientists completed the Human Genome Project, the effort to sequence all human DNA, in April 2003, having sequenced 3 billion base pairs of human DNA. NASA’s Twins Study revealed genetic changes in astronauts exposed to microgravity, although the full scope of these effects is still not known. Prolonged spaceflight causes muscle atrophy, bone density loss, vision problems, and cardiovascular and central nervous system effects in astronauts.
The human genome’s structure is highly complex, with 2 meters of DNA packed into a cell nucleus measuring 10 micrometers, and deviations can lead to diseases such as cancer. Alexandra Zidovska, an NYU associate professor, stated that gravity acts as a constant mechanical stress on genomes, and removing it helps reveal its role in genomic organization.
Researchers caution that subtle changes observed after 24 hours could amplify over longer exposures, potentially affecting astronauts on missions to the Moon or Mars. Understanding long-term microgravity effects is essential for planning future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, where astronauts may face extended exposure.
Our data show that the genome, its organization, and dynamics are incredibly robust and seem unaffected by gravity, or lack thereof, after 24 hours.
Alexandra Zidovska
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