The entire world has agreed to criticize the Space trip of Katy Perry. A phrase with which I never imagined that an article would start, but here we are. The advertising strategy has been regular to Blue Origin… or not, because bad advertising is also advertising and the image of Bezos enjoys a type of practical impunity that only money can buy. In any case, The singer is One more example of the type of space tourist that will feed a New industry. In summary: exceptionally rich people.
And, although the billionaires are a minority, we are more than accustomed to paying attention to them that, demographically, is not justified. In fact, the prestigious scientific journalPlos One It has just published an investigation that tries to unravel how it affects the reaction of the nervous system From these tourists to their space experience. And, with his results in his hand, we can imagine the possibility that Katy Perry enjoys, for a few days, of a superdeveloped smell.
Nervous question
Obviously, In the article it does not speak specifically of Katy Perry, but of A specific type of space tourists, those with a especially sensitive parasympathetic nervous system, that is: that more easily activate their fighting or flight mechanisms in response to stress. His conclusions, if correct, could be applied to both the singer and any other space traveler if they are to meet such criteria. And, obviously, the study does not seek to reveal trivial curiosities such as smell potentiation, but rather He has investigated more serious issues about the effect that these suborbital flights could have on the health of the crew.
The work, carried out by several research centers, was based on 17 healthy participants without previous astronautical training, subjected to 30 parabolic flights during a 3-hour flight at the Airbus A310 Zero-Gsimulating microgravity conditions. They measured psychological, physiological and sensory variables before, just after, the next day and a week after the flight. To classify the subjects measured how their resting heart rate changed, which reflects the flexibility of the parasympathetic system. Those with high variability showed, after the flight, a better identification of odors and a more adaptive postural response than their peers.
Unexpected “super powers”
We know well that, on land, acute stress can enhance the ability to detect certain volatile compounds. One of the consequences of this parasympathetic state is the dilation of blood vessels, making more blood reach our tissues and, among them, to the olfactory mucosa. It is likely that, by increasing the irrigation of this mucosa, our smell is affected and even invites us to pay more attention to our meaning.
What we do know is that, in this study, The average score in the identification of odors (according to the European test of olfactory capabilities) increased after exposure to microgravity conditionsespecially in the group especially susceptible to activate their parasyatic system. The truth is that we are not fully clear what mechanisms after this change in smell, especially considering that its effects last several days, but possibly due to several factors.
Limitations and caution
But let’s be cautious. The study did not directly manipulate the olfactory function, but observed pre/post flight differences in two groups defined by its parasympathetic response. The number of subjects is really small and other factors that are not directly related to the space flight itself, such as measurement errors or statistical analysis, could be under stake. In addition, as we said, the recovery phase showed a return to basal olfactory identification values, and even a slight decrease, so because we have to enhance our smell, this does not solve anything.
On the other hand, the conditions of the test (noise of the cabin, fastening to the seat) do not reproduce a real orbital flight. If Katy Perry (or any other space tourist with high parasympathetic reactivity) experiences this olfactory peak, could enjoy aromas “of space more intensely: From the characteristic “smell of metal” described by astronauts “, to fragrances designed ad hoc for the cabin, an affirmation not very transcendent, but that pays the field so that this market is spoken with the pseudoscience of aromatherapy. The future begins to draw and is dystopian in forms that we did not suspect.
Do not sneak it:
- This type of studies, whether more or less deep, help us expand our knowledge about the functioning of our body in spatial conditions, a whole field of medicine that follows in darkness and where, therefore, any lantern that illuminates the path is appreciated.
References (MLA):
- Le Roy, Barbara, et al. “Effects of repeated Gravity Changes During Parabolic Flight: Evidence of the need to assist space tourist to outer space.” Plos One, vol. 20, no. 4, 23 APR. 2025, E0320588. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0320588
