Combining tardigrade DNA with our own could one day improve our ability to survive for long periods in space. Human beings are not built for space - that much at least is obvious; not only are we woefully ill-equipped to survive being in a vacuum, but we are also highly susceptible to the deadly effects of radiation exposure - a problem that still exists even when safely cocooned inside a spacecraft. But what if there was a way to modify ourselves to make us better suited for life in the final frontier ? Geneticist Chris Mason is one of a growing body of scientists who have been investigating the effects of spaceflight on the human body and how we might overcome these challenges in the future. He led one of the teams involved in NASA's twin astronaut experiment involving Mark and Scott Kelly; one of whom went up to the space station for a year while the other stayed on terra firma. By studying the pair, it was possible to see how long-term space travel can impact the human body. While