In fact, I have seen a number of speakers on different
topics at this wonderful annual Genome BC event starting with Dr. Clare M.
Fraser on the human microbiome in 2019, the
pandemic-induced virtual event with Carl Hansen in 2020 (alas no food or drink
for that one!), then had Dr. Caroyln Hogg talk about koalas and Tasmanian
devils in 2022, followed by the always interesting and outstanding Wade Davis
(the author of The Serpent and the Rainbow) talk about "The
Wayfinders of Genomic Wisdom" in 2023, and just last year, we had Dr. Sam Aparicio help
us decode cancer and its management via the genomics revolution.
So here we are in 2025 and I was looking forward to Dr. Christopher
Mason’s talk entitled “Space Genetics: Epigenetic evolution in Cancer, and a
500-year plan for Synthetic Biology” which was almost as bonkers as Wade’s brilliant
address and I should have expected it based not only on the title but the slightly erratic and idiosyncratic spelling thereof. As someone who can be analytical
and structured, I found the random capitalization or rather non-capitalization
of certain words like evolution and plan to be equally disconcerting and
enticing.
That Monday started off with a low-grade lower back pain, which
I decided to completely ignore and disregard and went to the gym, nonetheless. I
wanted to embrace the “No pain, no gain” mentality for a change. That said, the subsequent walk to
the Convention Centre was difficult to say the least. Not only was I space walking
in slow-mo with various involuntary stops due to sharp back pain but I realized
and understood why lumbago is called “Hexenschuss” (literally "shot by witches") in
German. I pictured three witches in black rolling with laughter and putting
pins in that precise area of my back as I was trying to walk down the streets.
There were moments I considered dropping by the emergency
room worried whether I would be able to make it there if the pain continued and increased
proportionally. And yet, the pain-gain correlation was still fresh in the back
of my mind, and I really did not want to miss out on this talk on space and
genomics. I made it there in one piece, found my seat and decided to sit still
and not budge for the remainder of the address.
Next to me were a couple of math teachers – I assume this because
one of them was marking a bunch of math exams before the talk commenced. Those
numbers and symbols were the root cause of some trauma for me, and I was going
to tell her this was giving me PTSD. Then, I thought, she probably did not
want to hear this from me and instead noticed how the lack of physical movement
was good for my back.
And so, the event started after the usual predictable openings,
introductions, and formalities, which I would have gladly skipped on a recording
but unfortunately, you cannot really do that at live events. I was eager to see
what Dr. Christopher Mason was all about and I was not to be disappointed. He did not
mince words and started right away with a journey to Mars and asked us whether the
body can survive such a physically and mentally demanding voyage.
What were the potential risks and hazards and how could they
be circumvented or be accounted for? There were drills and exercises starting
in parabolic flights in the 50s to simulate and prepare for such trips to space, including a
rather hilarious video of cats floating in microgravity. This was not all fun
and games as the scientific question of whether cats would land on their feet
when in space was probed and examined in rigorous detail. The answer is no. I wondered
if people felt back pain in space and whether one could say “no gravity, no
pain”? The question did not occur to me at the event, so unfortunately, I did
not ask him there and then.
By using NASA Twins Study, with Mark Kelly being on earth
and Scott Kelly in space, scientists were able to discern and note some key
differences between the two. Scott Kelly, who was in space, had certain changes
to his genes: he got taller and younger! Sadly, those effects did not last but
the interesting finding was that his telomeres were longer. These had something
to do with the aging process, i.e. a positive effect, but they seemed to be also
somewhat corelated with cancer. You just can’t have it all, can you now?
The interesting observation here was how the immune system
responds to gravity and how gene expressions could be turned on and off in that
process. Everyone is different, not only on earth but also in space and we all have
different stress responses. By engaging in space omics studies, there is a lot that
can be learned from all of this. (There are the inherent drive and desire to
study pregnancies in space but that is obviously ethically questionable. Apparently,
according to the records, there has been officially no sex in space, but that statement
seems rather doubtful and perhaps unrealistic; anyhow, this particular study
has been put on hold for now.)
The other aspect to study is the effects and changes of the
microbiome. Dr. Mason gave the examples of crowded elevators or physical sports
where microbiomes are shared and exchanged freely and copiously, which sounds like
great fun. The most telling and slightly disturbing example of microbiomes was
his daughter’s first visit to New York in which she licked a subway pole, which
would be a most terrifying event in any parent’s life but putting on his scientific
hat, he found the question rather intriguing.
As a result, they swabbed whole areas to find out. A simple
lick snowballed and led to a full-fledged study, which demonstrated that 50% of
found organisms were unknown. I found this shocking and terrifying, but Christopher Mason seemed rather at ease and nonchalant about it all including the discovery
of 11000 new viruses. He claimed that they were not dangerous and that it all
depended upon one’s immune system but licking random poles may be “probably
fine” as he was later (mis)quoted in the media.
Now the question is how could we improve not only the
microbiome but also make genetic modifications that could help an astronaut survive
(and may I add thrive) in space? This would form a sort of protective shield or mechanism where certain genes could be turned on or off at will. For instance,
apparently, we have a gene that can produce Vitamin C but that is turned off and no longer
used.
Why would that matter? Well, here’s an interesting tidbit of
information: both cats and dogs can produce their own Vitamin C, and this is
why they do not get scurvy. Us humans, however, need to ensure we get our dose
of this vitamin to protect ourselves from this disease. Why not just turn on
the gene and be all right? And what would be the repercussions in terms of
other diseases and the treatment of cancer and genetic illnesses? These are
realities and possibilities thanks to many advances made in genomics and gene technology,
such as epigenetic CRISPR.
This was an interesting mix and exploration of genetics and
space, merging the micro with the macro world. As Chris (we are on a first-name basis now) remarked our time on
this planet and this universe is limited seeing that we shall experience either a Big Crunch
or a Big Rip sooner or later. It is shocking that regardless of what
we do or don’t do to each other and our species on this planet, there is an
expiry date attached to the universe.
And that would make space exploration a necessity for survival. And one of the biggest takeaways here is that we should preserve and keep hope alive and not be crushed by worries or back pain, which incidentally went away after a couple of glasses of red wine, courtesy of Genome BC.
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