On Earth, gravity affects the way lungs operate and may exaggerate some lung disorders such as emphysema and tuberculosis.
Gravity causes more blood to travel to the bottom than to the top of the lung.
In 1-g, the weight of both the rib cage and lungs change the shape of the lungs. In space, blood flow is distributed more evenly through the lung and the weight of the rib cage and lungs would no longer have an effect. For a listing of publications from the lab's recent experiments, please see the recent publications page.