If we lived in a "gravity-free" world, would we live longer and stay younger-looking?

[Buttmunker]

From what I understand about the world we reside in (which,to be honest, isn't all that much), gravity (along with the rotation of the Earth) causes aging (sagging skin) and old-age.

If we got OFF the Earth, and went to go live on a man-made space station that "didn't rotate," and had zero gravity, would we live longer and stay younger longer?

*(Hey, it's just a question - don't kill me!)

[crazyronin]

Since the atmosphere would dissipate into space...no.

*edit, woops you wanted to know in a sealed space station. The consensus is that yes, it would add some years to the human life span. Prolonged exposure to low/no gravity would cause enough physiological changes to prevent you from ever returning to an environment where gravity approached 1.

[Buttmunker]

Originally Posted by crazyronin

Since the atmosphere would dissipate into space...no.

The Space Station would have "artificial" atmosphere - an endless supply of it. Then what?

[crazyronin]

see edit.

[dieinafire]

Living in a gravity free zone would wreak havoc on your bones, making them more brittle, and would be bad for you. I remember seeing all this on that History Channel show, The Universe. It will also cause bad blood circulation. That is one of the risks of flying to Mars, or beyond.

[AGuyNamedMike]

If you believe wikipedia, no:

The most significant adverse effects of long-term weightlessness are muscle atrophy and deterioration of the skeleton, or spaceflight osteopenia. These effects can be minimized through a regimen of exercise. Other significant effects include fluid redistribution, a slowing of the cardiovascular system, decreased production of red blood cells, balance disorders, and a weakening of the immune system. Lesser symptoms include loss of body mass, nasal congestion, sleep disturbance, excess flatulence, and puffiness of the face. These effects begin to reverse quickly upon return to the Earth.

Many of the conditions caused by exposure to weightlessness are similar to those resulting from aging. Scientists believe that studies of the detrimental effects of weightlessness could have medical benefits, such as a possible treatment for osteoporosis and improved medical care for the bed-ridden and elderly.

[Nick Danger]

You would be obese from lack of exercise. But your man boobs would be perky.

[majorjoe23]

Think of the damage it would do to our economy! Airbrushers for Maxim and Playboy would have nothing to do.

[Palaver]

So, what is it about gravity that supposedly causes aging?

[Bronkster]

There is no gravity: The Earth sucks!

[crazyronin]

Originally Posted by Palaver

So, what is it about gravity that supposedly causes aging?

He's referring to physical effects (saggy, baggy, and wrinkly...the three banned dwarves) and not physiological effects.

[Palaver]

Yeah. But he is asking if we would live longer without gravity. What supposedly is it about gravity that would cut short our life span?

[pjflyer]

You certainly couldn't do cartwheels if you won best actor at Cannes.

[kvrdave]

Originally Posted by dieinafire

Living in a gravity free zone would wreak havoc on your bones, making them more brittle, and would be bad for you. I remember seeing all this on that History Channel show, The Universe. It will also cause bad blood circulation. That is one of the risks of flying to Mars, or beyond.

I was going to post the same. Assuming we didn't have to deal with increased solar radiation in a space station, and all other possible problems, the weak bones would be a killer, even in a gravity free zone. Small accidents would become life threatening easily.

[sundog]

Space punies! (song starts ~2:45 in)

[noonan4224]

Originally Posted by kvrdave

I was going to post the same. Assuming we didn't have to deal with increased solar radiation in a space station, and all other possible problems, the weak bones would be a killer, even in a gravity free zone. Small accidents would become life threatening easily.

[Ronnie Dobbs]

i think we'd age the same

[The Bus]

[Buttmunker]

Originally Posted by Palaver

Yeah. But he is asking if we would live longer without gravity. What supposedly is it about gravity that would cut short our life span?

I included 'the rotation of the Earth' along with 'Gravity.'

Anyway, do any of the other planets offer some kind of gravity, whether greater or lesser than the Earth? I would assume they do, considering they all rotate (at slower speeds and faster speeds than Earth) around the Sun.

If we found a way to get atmosphere (and a dome to hold it in, with vents to keep it from getting stale) to, say, Venus or Mars - or even Jupiter - would we live longer? Would we age faster/slower (depending on the Planet)?

[Buttmunker]

*I'm asking because I know that all of you are closet scientists and scholars.

[OldDude]

Originally Posted by Buttmunker

I included 'the rotation of the Earth' along with 'Gravity.'

Anyway, do any of the other planets offer some kind of gravity, whether greater or lesser than the Earth? I would assume they do, considering they all rotate (at slower speeds and faster speeds than Earth) around the Sun.

All planets offer gravity. The local gravity at the surface is the universal gravitational constant times the mass of the planet divided by the square of the radius of the planet. (with a minor correction for the effect of the planet's spin rate)

Given that we (and all our predecessor animals) evolved on a planet that has gravity of a particular value and rotates at a particular rate, why do you believe we would be better off without it. I suspect that we would be sub-optimal for either space or for a planet with radically different value. Lifeforms tend to evolve toward being optimal for the ecological niche they fit in. Change the conditions and you are testing their adaptability. (humans certainly have some)

[Nick Danger]

Originally Posted by OldDude

All planets offer gravity. The local gravity at the surface is the universal gravitational constant times the mass of the planet divided by the square of the radius of the planet. (with a minor correction for the effect of the planet's spin rate)

Given that we (and all our predecessor animals) evolved on a planet that has gravity of a particular value and rotates at a particular rate, why do you believe we would be better off without it. I suspect that we would be sub-optimal for either space or for a planet with radically different value. Lifeforms tend to evolve toward being optimal for the ecological niche they fit in. Change the conditions and you are testing their adaptability. (humans certainly have some)

We evolved in equatorial Africa. We do much better in temperate Eurasia. So why wouldn't changing other things help us? I'd like to try living in 0.9 G.

(Of course, the temperature in Tanzania might have been in the mid-70s and rainfall might have been frequent two million years ago.)

[Palaver]

Originally Posted by Buttmunker

I included 'the rotation of the Earth' along with 'Gravity.'

But you still haven't stated why you think a different gravity (or planetary rotation) would be beneficial to humans. Like Old Dude stated, our bodies are designed (through either a creator or evolution) to thrive in particular gravitational environment. Altering that environment would only seem to have negative effects on our health for reasons that others have already stated (bone density, muscle development, fluid circulation.)

What benefits (besides the elimination of saggy skin) could we possibly gain?

Originally Posted by Buttmunker

If we found a way to get atmosphere (and a dome to hold it in, with vents to keep it from getting stale) to, say, Venus or Mars - or even Jupiter - would we live longer?

You're kidding, right?

[OldDude]

Originally Posted by Nick Danger

We evolved in equatorial Africa. We do much better in temperate Eurasia. So why wouldn't changing other things help us? I'd like to try living in 0.9 G.

And we moved slowly out of that niche as it became either unsuitable or crowded. We could probably handle 0.9 g pretty well, zero, maybe not so much.

Maintaining a niche exactly perfect is a problem over time, and obviously adaptable organisms thrive better, but there are limits to how much change they can handle all at once.

[drmoze]

Originally Posted by Buttmunker

I included 'the rotation of the Earth' along with 'Gravity.'

Regarding an original question, aging of skin is a biological process involving slowing of collagen production, deterioration of elastin, etc. It is not caused by gravity, and I don't see why a lack of gravity would alleviate it. (To the extent that blood flow would not be majorly affected in weaker gravitational fields--I'm not sure what the effects would be of that.)