title: On the biological role of gravity.
abstract: The paper is dedicated to the memory of Galileo Galilei whose work is a great contribution to the development of a new branch of science--gravitation biology. Penetration of man into outer space necessitates a study of the role of gravity in the onto- and phylogenetic development of living organisms. This allows one to get insight into the biological action of weightlessness under the conditions of long-term space flight. The paper summarizes some results of the investigation of weightlessness effects in experiments on animals and during flights of Soviet and American astronauts. The rearing of animals in a special centrifuge under the conditions of prolonged action of accelerations simulating an increased gravity affects noticeably the formation of vegetative (height, weight, metabolism) and animal (vestibulo-tonic reflexes) functions as well as reactivity of the organism. Experiments employing the rearing of animals in a centrifuge represent one of the most promising methods of studying the urgent problem--biological action of increased and decreased gravitation conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, USSR Academy of Sciences, Moscow.
authors.forename: O G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Gazenko
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gurjian
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D002320:Cardiovascular Physiological Phenomena; D004971:Estrus / Q000502:physiology; D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006112:Gravitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D013026:Space Flight; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D014722:Vestibule, Labyrinth / Q000502:physiology; D014893:Weightlessness / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018474:Weightlessness Simulation
chemical_list: D005230:Fatty Acids, Nonesterified