Low Gravity May Make Astronauts' Guts More Fragile

Astronauts may want to watch what they eat. In a lab experiment, researchers found that microgravity might keep the cells that line the insides of human intestines from forming strong barriers against food-borne disease agents. That could make astronauts more susceptible to negative bacteria, fungi and viruses. And the negative effects seem to last for a while even after the cells returned to normal Earth gravity.