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. 2025 Mar;24(3):e70030.
doi: 10.1111/acel.70030. Epub 2025 Mar 1.

Telomeres in Space

Abraham Aviv  1 , Simon Verhulst  2
Affiliations

Telomeres in Space

Abraham Aviv et al. Aging Cell. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Recent studies have reported that the spaceflight environment lengthens leukocyte telomeres. We propose that this baffling finding reflects changes in the composition of leukocyte subsets rather than an actual increase in telomere length within individual leukocytes. Since leukocyte telomere length is associated with aging-related diseases and longevity in humans, it is crucial to understand the underlying factors driving telomere length changes in space.

Keywords: astronauts; lymphocytes; neutrophils; space; telomeres.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Characteristics of leukocyte telomere on Earth and in Space: (a) The shortening of telomeres with age in neutrophils (measured as TL in granulocytes), and lymphocytes; (b) An illustration showing the changes in the number of neutrophils, along with the resulting shifts in the neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the mean leukocyte TL (mTL) between Earth and space. The average estimates for neutrophil TL and lymphocyte TL are based on a 50‐year‐old adult (Aubert et al. 2012).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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