Adelaidean (Spring/Summer 2015 edition) | Page 13

“Astronauts who see the Earth from their little portal windows feel a sense of psychological connectedness with it.” Dr Saniotis says a range of health and social issues for older people – such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, as well as cancer – are currently major hurdles for the quality of older life. But if medical science is able to tackle these issues, what can we expect for the future of the human race? “The nature of our whole society would have to change,” Dr Saniotis says. “Our notions of ageing and youth, concepts of family, our sexual patterns and relationships, our concepts of work and retirement, social security systems, the food industry, medicine, all of this will change.” Dr Saniotis poses a further issue: “What if you want to live for centuries but no-one else around you wants to live that long? The rest of your life will see continuous loss; it would be too much for most people. So while physically we might be able to modify and adapt to extend life, it’s possible that for many people it would be psychologically damaging.” Dr Saniotis says space travel is also a double-edged sword. “It would take about six months for a manned spaceship to reach Mars, and another six months to return. At the current time, scientists have yet to devise a method to protect astronauts from the amount of cosmic radiation they would be exposed to during long-term space travel. “Assuming that problem is somehow solved, my main concern is helping to reduce the physical and neurological deprivation that astronauts would experience on such a journey,” he says. READER SURVEY WIN 1 of 5 $100 2016 Adelaide Fringe vouchers Click here! “Over the last 30 years authorities have been monitoring people on space stations, particularly on the Russian space station Mir. And you can see so many problems occurring: from changes in blood circulation due to microgravity, muscle and skeletal loss, neurological deficits, and behavioural issues due to stress levels and lack of sleep.” Dr Saniotis says although astronauts already conduct exercises to maintain physical and mental health, it’s not enough to replace the kind of stimulation they would receive on Earth. And there’s another key factor in all of this: people’s connection to nature. “It’s known that astronauts who see the Earth from their little portal windows feel a sense of psychological connectedness with it. So even if you can see a small image of Earth, it gives you a sense of stress relief. What will happen when you go into deep space and you no longer have that image? “The famous naturalist E.O. Wilson posed the theory of ‘biophilia’ – love for nature – that human beings evolved in nature and they are indelibly connected with it. We know that from past research, people in hospitals who see images of nature after an operation have higher rates of healing than those who don’t. “ %