A tale of two astronauts

In what’s been described as “a once-in-a-space-program opportunity”, a set of twins are helping us understand exactly what effects space travel has on everything from immunity to cognition. Scott and Mark Kelly are both astronauts: Scott is off to the International Space Station in March 2015, whereas Mark is going to stay on Earth. Last week, it was announced that $1.5m has been allocated to ten research proposals – each one a fascinating study on its own. Twins have always been a topic of scientific interest, and the old nature v nurture debate is being tested in a range of studies, such as the famous TEDS study, which has already produced data on how the balance of nature and nurture varies across the UK (they’ve yet to include the International Space Station on their map). If you’re applying for Natural Sciences (B), Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Medicine or Psychology – get reading, and you can show you’re up to speed on new experiments on this age old question!