--- title: "Disturbing Discovery Finds That Space Does Something Bad to Astronauts’ Bones" description: "A shocking new study has found that spending months in space can result in the equivalent of two decades worth of bone loss for astronauts. " date: "2022-07-02" modified: "2022-07-02" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/space-astronaut-bones" categories: - "Space" tags: - "astronaut bones" - "astronaut health" - "astronauts" - "bone density" - "bone loss" - "bones" - "Space travel" --- # Disturbing Discovery Finds That Space Does Something Bad to Astronauts’ Bones ![A shocking new study has found that spending months in space can result in the equivalent of two decades worth of bone loss for astronauts. ]() *Dead spaceman \Image: Getty\* An alarming new study has found that spending months in space can result in the equivalent of *two decades worth of bone loss* for astronauts. The study, [published in *Scientific Reports*](), details how researchers at Canada's University of Calgary made their troubling discovery — and explains a potential fix for an issue that could become much more widespread as more and more [civilians begin traveling to space](). By tracking 17 mostly-male astronauts with an average age of 47 who traveled to space for anywhere between four and seven months, Calgary exercise scientist Leigh Gabel and her team used a super high-definition 3D bone scanner at various points before and after their spaceflights to measure their bones' strength and density. They found that the loss of bone density was most severe for astronauts who spend more than six months in space, and that those who spend fewer months were able to regain about half their bone strength and density after being back on terra firma for half a year. Though it's long been known that [spending more than a month in space results in bone loss](), this study both quantifies how much bone loss astronauts experience in terms of terrestrial lifespans, and also looks at how their bones rebound after they return to Earth. The researchers behind the study also [pinpointed in interviews with *Science News*]() also a key way to avoid bone loss or strengthen bones while astronauts are in space — good old weightlifting. "\[Bones are\] alive and active," Gabel told the magazine, "and they’re constantly remodeling." **READ MORE:** [Six months in space leads to a decade’s worth of long-term bone loss]() \[*Science News*\] **More on bones:** [*Your Bones Are Made Out of Exploded Stars, Scientists Say*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()