Gravitational Influence on Human Living Systems and the Evolution of Species on Earth

Abstract

Gravity constituted the only constant environmental parameter, during the evolutionary period of living matter on Earth. However, whether gravity has affected the evolution of species, and its impact is still ongoing. The topic has not been investigated in depth, as this would require frequent and long-term experimentations in space or an environment of altered gravity. In addition, each organism should be studied throughout numerous generations to determine the profound biological changes in evolution. Here, we review the significant abnormalities presented in the cardiovascular, immune, vestibular and musculoskeletal systems, due to altered gravity conditions. We also review the impact that gravity played in the anatomy of snakes and amphibians, during their evolution. Overall, it appears that gravity does not only curve the space-time continuum but the biological continuum, as well.

Keywords: astrobiology; evolution; gravitational biology; hypergravity; microgravity.

Figure 1

An orbiting object around Earth (Sputnik), with its velocity and applied forces.

Figure 2

A diagrammatic representation of the evolution on Earth and the force of gravity acting on all stages of evolving life. As organisms evolved from the primary microorganisms to the formation of life in water, the transition to land and then air was constantly under the effect of gravitational forces (Legend: the images of the “hot soup”, archaea and dinosaurs were obtained from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur, under the CC BY 2.0 license, Accessed on 3 October 2020).