Travel to Mars, deform your pituitary gland...

Todays papers have been awash with the news that astronauts may suffer side effects from spending long periods of time in space; specifically, their eyesight may be damaged due to effects which appear similar to intracranial hypertension; i.e. increased pressure in the head. Their eyeballs have literally changed shape, making them more longsighted - which, in the case of those astronauts who started off with short sight, has actually improved their vision.

In pituitary-relevant news (which this blog is always excited about), doctors examined 27 astronauts who each had a cumulative total of at least 30 days in space, and of those 27, three were found to have slightly deformed pituitary glands. I have struggled to find any more details on exactly how their pituitaries were "slightly deformed"; I presume that their pituitary glands may have become somewhat flattened along the interior walls of the sella turcica cavity. And although that sounds suspiciously precise coming from me, I promise I'm not making shit up; that's what happens in primary empty sella syndrome, which can be a sign of intracranial hypertension.

Shit, where'd I leave my glasses?