Dolphin brains, human brains, and long-term space travel: a theory of mine

Well, it turns out that when astronauts are in space for long periods of time (more than 2 weeks), their brains undergo noticeable structural changes. That is quite interesting and proof of the incredible plasticity and capacity of the human brain. Now we now know what kinds of changes come from the research and it is interesting that the images of the dolphins’ brains have also been captured.

What do we know about the similarities of a human brain in space in a low-gravity environment as it learns to operate in a three-dimensional range of motion and a dolphin brain that has structurally evolved to operate in a similar low-gravity environment? ? with movement in 3 dimensions (quote: 1).

Why do I dare to compare or ask this question?

Well, there was an interesting article on the New Atlas website posted on Jan 31, 2017 titled; “Astronauts’ brains change shape as they learn to move in space,” by Michael Irving, who noted:

“The study found that space travel changes the volume of gray matter in different parts of the brain, perhaps as a result of changing fluids due to a lack of gravity, and the brain works overtime to relearn the basics of movement. in a strange new environment. Humans evolved to thrive in the conditions of the Earth, so it is not surprising that once we are pushed beyond our territory, we are subject to a variety of health problems. gravity constantly pressing on the body, bones and muscles lose mass over time, a problem that ISS astronauts mitigate through exercise. “

In this study, the scan (fMRI) of more than two dozen astronauts and all of them had a change in the gray matter of their brain + or – in different parts, the longer in space, the greater the change. Now, according to the Google search of the human brain; “In general, gray matter occupies 40 percent of the brain,” and it turns out that when you look at a dolphin brain, although structurally different, it contains a lot of gray matter (Quote: 2, 3, 4). And, and it is actually said that it is our ‘gray matter’ that makes us human, separates us from the Dolphins (quote: 5).

The human brain has a lot more per percentage, even though it is smaller in size than a dolphin brain, maybe dolphin brains don’t need as much? Perhaps a dolphin brain is a superior design for long-term space flight? Maybe some DNA research could lead us to clues? Perhaps we can use this information to help us biologically engineer a better brain to make it safer for humans in long-term space environments, without losing cognitive abilities and without health risks.

Okay, my hunch is that if we study the brain of dolphins, we can gain insight into why the human brain changes the amounts of gray matter in different parts of the brain when in a low-gravity environment and astronauts learn to motivate themselves. completely. 3-D environment available. Of course, we don’t know much right now, but we do know enough to start considering those things and launch new research to build on what we learn. Since we don’t know exactly why this happens, but we only have theories, we need to get to the bottom of it all. Perhaps those who have studied the brains of dolphins could enter into a dialogue with NASA scientists who have studied the brains of returning astronauts. Think about this.

Recommended citations and reading:

(1) Book; “Dolphins” series Undersea Discoveries of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Double Day Publishers, Berlin, Germany, 1974, 304 pages, ISBN: 0-385-00015-4.

(2) Research work: “A universal scale law between the gray matter and the white matter of the cerebral cortex”, by Kechen Zhang and Terrence J. Sejnowski.

(3) Research paper published in the Journal of Brain, Behavior and Evolution; “Morphology and Evolutionary Biology of the Dolphin Brain – Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Conventional Histology”, by HHA Oelschlager, M. Haas-Rioth, Fung, SH Ridgway and M. Knauth, DOI: 10.1159 / 000110495.

(4) Research document; Marino, L., Murphy, TL, Gozal, L. and Johnson, JI (2001). Magnetic resonance imaging and three-dimensional reconstructions of the brain of a fetal common dolphin, Delphinus delphis. Anatomy and Embryology, 203 (5), 393-402.

(5) Book: “In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier”, by Thomas I. White, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, April 15, 2008, 248 pages, ISBN: 978-047076-652- 1 .