Multi-system responses to altered gravity and spaceflight: Insights from Drosophila melanogaster

NASA is planning to resume human-crewed lunar missions and lay the foundation for human exploration to Mars. However, our knowledge of the overall effects of long-duration spaceflight on human physiology is limited. During spaceflight, astronauts are exposed to multiple risk factors, including gravitational changes, ionizing radiation, physiological stress, and altered circadian lighting. These factors contribute to pathophysiological responses that target different organ systems in the body. This review discusses the advancements in gravita-tional biology using Drosophila melanogaster, one of the first organisms to be launched into space. As a well -established spaceflight model organism, fruit flies have yielded significant information, including neuro-behavioral, aging, immune, cardiovascular, developmental, and multi-omics changes across tissues and devel-opmental stages, as detailed in this review.

Automated summary

The review discusses the advancements in gravitational biology using fruit flies as a spaceflight model organism, providing significant information on neuro-behavioral, aging, immune, cardiovascular, developmental, and multi-omics changes.