If you plan on going on your honeymoon in space, you may want to reconsider. A study in the University of Montreal suggests that sex in space may lead to life-threatening illnesses like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
According to a study published in PLOS ONE, researchers used plants as test subjects and discovered that reproduction outside the bounds of Earth’s gravity could carry serious consequences.
The University of Montreal’s study showed that the reproductive process of plants were affected by the change in gravity. During the plant’s reproduction, zero-gravity conditions gravely affect the cell traffic in the pollen tube by damaging the plant cells during reproduction, according to the study.
Montreal University Professor Anja Geitmann, who studies biology and was involved during the research, said plant subjects shed light on the conditions and consequences for human sex in space:
Our findings offer new insight into how life evolved on Earth and are significant with regards to human health, as a traffic jam on these highways that also exist in human cells can cause cancer and illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.
Geitmann added that it will take time for agriculture to develop in space, meaning that more research would need to be done. “In order to actually do long-term plant cultivation, we have to look for species that can actually reproduce under zero gravity conditions,” she told Live Science.
Rumors have surfaced that astronauts in Russia may have already conducted experiments to determine if sex in space is possible. Russian space officials have denied that such research has been done, according to Space.