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Life on Earth evolved under a specific set of environmental conditions, including consistent gravitational and magnetic fields. However, planned human missions to Mars in the coming decades will expose terrestrial organisms to radically different conditions, with Martian gravity being approximately 38% of Earth's and a significantly reduced magnetic field. Understanding the combined effects of these factors is crucial, as they may impact biological systems that evolved under different conditions. In this study, we investigated the effects of simulated Martian gravity and hypomagnetic fields on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans across six generations. We used an integrated experimental setup consisting of clinostats to mimic the reduced Martian gravity, and Merritt coil magnetic cages to model the decreased Martian magnetic fields. We assessed behavioral, morphological, and physiological responses of C. elegans. High-throughput automated assays revealed significant reductions in motor output and morphological dimensions for animals in the Mars treatment compared to matched earth-like controls. We assessed neurological function by means of chemotaxis assays and found a progressive decline in performance for worms raised under the Martian paradigm compared to Earth controls. Our results show that worms grown under Martian-like conditions exhibit progressive physiological alterations across generations, suggesting that the unique environment of Mars might pose challenges to biological function and adaptation. These findings contribute to understanding how living organisms may respond to the combined effects of reduced gravity and hypomagnetic fields, providing insights relevant for future human exploration and potential colonization of Mars. 

Mechanosensitive PIEZO ion channels are evolutionarily conserved proteins that are widely expressed in neuronal and muscular tissues. This study explores the role of the mechanoreceptor PEZO-1 in the body wall muscles of Caenorhabditis elegans, focusing on its influence on two locomotor behaviors, swimming and crawling. Using confocal imaging, we reveal that PEZO-1 localizes to the sarcolemma and plays a crucial role in modulating calcium dynamics that are important for muscle contraction. When we knocked down pezo-1 expression in striated muscles with RNA interference, calcium levels in head and tail muscles increased. While heightened, the overall trajectory of the calcium signal during the crawl cycle remained the same. While downregulation of pezo-1 led to an increase in crawling speed, it caused a reduction in swimming speed. Reduction in pezo-1 expression also resulted in the increased activation of the ventral tail muscles, and a disruption of dorsoventral movement asymmetry, a critical feature that enables propulsion in water. These alterations were correlated with impaired swimming posture and path curvature, suggesting that PEZO-1 has different functions during swimming and crawling.