Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/662005
t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 6 19 Because a mapped genome has the potential to expose genes that carry inherited diseases like Alzheimer's or Parkinson's, counselors help individuals understand the risks and benefits of knowing their genetic results, as well as disease manage- ment options, if needed. "One researcher told us that after the study is over, they're going to have more information on Scott and myself than any other human ever," Mark said. "It will be interesting. Being an engineer, and someone who thinks that data is important in making decisions, I'm inclined to say that I'd like to know everything. I'm prepared for bad news; I think bad news is better than not knowing at all." It's a lot of data and information, not just for NASA and the twins themselves, but for universities, medical centers and cancer hospi- tals interested in developing the best methods for understanding diseases and developing future therapeutics. And while it will be invaluable in some ways for the future of space travel and medicine alike, many unknowns will remain, and there will still be much to do after the study is completed. "We understand that we won't be able to generalize our results to the whole population of astronauts or people on Earth based on this one study," explained Charles. "The study of one astronaut and his twin brother is not going to solve problems or answer questions conclusively or rigorously. But it |will show us areas for future investi- gations. We'll look at where signifi- cant differences have occurred and focus our future research on those opportunities." In the meantime, the twins con- tinue to work closely with NASA to collect samples and undergo clinical assessments. And aside from the obvious differences— Scott's fatigue from what he's described as "extreme jet lag" and Mark's significantly better tan— most of the variances won't be made available to the public for quite some time. Scientific anal- ysis on the bulk of the samples isn't scheduled to begin for at least another six months, and the researchers will then need to coordi- nate their findings and collaborate on a publishable set of outcomes. It is just the beginning of a long and difficult journey, but nobody goes into fields like aeronautics or genomics because they're easy. They pursue this work because it is the path to exploring Mars, to devel- oping successful cancer treatments or new drugs for heart disease—they pursue it because it contributes to the future of mankind. When asked what Scott will miss most about being in space, he didn't say the spectacular view, the thrill of the spacewalks, or the relative peace and quiet of the ISS, casually orbiting the earth every 92 minutes. He said it was the challenge. "Doing this job is something that's very challenging, very dif- ficult, and then working hard at it and then just being fulfilled by your success," he said. "The implications of you messing things up are so severe that it makes it more reward- ing. It's kind of like why I wanted to be a pilot in the Navy and land on the aircraft carrier. It's not because I thought landing on the aircraft carrier would be fun, it's because I knew that it was hard and there was risk and it was important." Editor's Note: At the time of press, Scott Kelly announced he would be retiring from NASA, effective April 1. He will continue his participation in the Twins Study. B E T W E E N TH E T WO O F TH E M, M A R K and S C O T T K E L LY 8 T I M E S H AV E B E E N T O S PA C E