Going into space can leave you short, fat and ugly

June 5th, 2009 - 12:36 pm ICT by ANI  

London, June 5 (ANI): Making long space voyage might sound thrilling and macho, but it will do no good to your appearance, claim scientists who believe space travel will leave astronauts looking short, fat and bald.

Astrobiologist Dr Lewis Dartnell believes that near zero gravity would leave humans stunted and cause their bones and muscles to be underdeveloped.

Dartnell added, if humans spent extended periods in space they will have bloated faces and lose their hair. This will happen because fluid would pool in their skulls and there would be no need for insulation from the cold, reports The Telegraph.

Dartnell, from University College London, said: “With little effort required to move around in microgravity and an environment that is never too hot or cold, future spacemen and women are likely to become pretty chubby.”

“Without gravity, fluid would float up to pool in the skull, which would cause the head to look permanently swollen out of proportion.

“Also, with no need for hair to insulate the head or eyelashes to flick dust from their eyes, future humans may become completely hairless,” he added.

While speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Dartnell also addressed the question of what aliens might look like.

He said: “Certain features of the human body, such as camera-like eyes, head, and legs would evolve time and time again on different worlds, and so many features of alien animals are likely to be instantly recognisable.

“However other features of life, such as the number of limbs animals develop, or the shape and colour of trees, would be much more variable between worlds.” (ANI)


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