Genetically modified astronauts needed to colonise Mars in 2050
Technology
They will have huge advantage for exploring deep space
(Web Desk) - Our biology is holding us back from planet hopping around the cosmos and becoming humanly acquainted with the mysteries of deep space.
Well, that's what the view of Volodymyr Usov, former chairman of Ukraine's national space agency turned cosmic entrepreneur.
Elon Musk has been vocal about his plans to colonise Mars in the 2050s - and is currently test launching the rocket for the job.
But if humans want to do that, we may need people to volunteer themselves to become genetically modified astronauts, argues Usov.
"We want to thrive in space, not just survive for several weeks," he tells The Sun.
While the future Usov describes feels plucked out of a sci-fi novel, or ripped from the pages of the next space-bound blockbuster, he's serious.
"We need to figure out how to actually build a society [in space], starting with a small one and then growing," he continues.
"Because here on Earth, what we are today, is a result of millions of years of evolution and connection to a particular environment on this planet that was really favourable for some weird reason.
"On Mars or any other place in the universe, from what I know, it's not as favourable as what it is here on Earth."
While Musk and his billionaire posse build the transport, Usov reckons private industry and scientists should be investing more in adapting human biology for space.
What humans require is a speed-run at evolution - or gene editing.
"We need to adapt really fast and without having technology helping us with this adaptation, I don't think it can actually happen," says Usov.
"Because if you bring the community to Mars... they cannot walk around, cannot communicate properly, cannot have a family... society how we see it now is impossible unless we adapt our biology for the new environment."
No advantages in space
Think life on Earth is hard? Living in space will be infinitely harder.
Humans will face much higher cancer risks due to radiation, alongside ruptured lungs and dangerously swollen skin from the low Martian air pressure.
And that's just the Red Planet in our solar system, the unique challenges posed by other worlds will require entirely different adaptations for survival.
"It's not only one way we need to change ourselves for space," explains Usov, "because every environment, every planet, every new star system, will have its own conditions, and we need to have a plan to adapt to this particular environment.
"For our evolution, natural selection works perfectly fine... but if we're talking about this absolutely new environment, it'll be hard to go just under natural selection, because this requires millions of years and large populations.
"In space we will have none of them.
"It's an issue... we need to address otherwise we wont be able to expand beyond earth, ever."
