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Space Radiation May Alter Astronauts' Neurons

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-saw-that-episode-of-star-trek dept.

sciencehabit writes: NASA hopes to send the first round-trip, manned spaceflight to Mars by the 2030s. If the mission succeeds, astronauts could spend several years potentially being bombarded with cosmic rays—high-energy particles launched across space by supernovae and other galactic explosions. Now, a study in mice suggests these particles could alter the shape of neurons, impairing astronauts' memories and other cognitive abilities. In the prefrontal cortex, a brain region associated with executive function, a range of high-level cognitive tasks such as reasoning, short-term memory, and problem-solving, neurons had 30% to 40% fewer branches, called dendrites, which receive electrical input from other cells.

9 of 73 comments (clear)

  1. Some of us are safe by Jodka · · Score: 5, Funny

    Problem: Space Radiation May Alter Astronauts' Neurons.

    Solution: Tin foil hats.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature.
  2. Ren was right? by Chas · · Score: 5, Funny

    Okay! Say it with my (like an asthmatic chihuahua).

    SPACE!!! MADNESS!!!

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  3. Re:We'll Know by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Funny

    The dissection is going to be... awkward.

    --
    W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  4. Re:We'll Know by ralphsiegler · · Score: 2

    one problem, the ISS is well within the protection of the Earth's magnetosphere from cosmic ray bombardment, so alas that is not a model for interplanetary travel at all

  5. Easy solution by itzly · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The solution is easy. Don't send people to Mars, send unmanned rovers. Solves a bunch of other problems too, and saves a lot of money that can be used on other cool stuff.

    1. Re:Easy solution by SuricouRaven · · Score: 2

      Rovers are cool, but they can't compete with the excitement of a crewed mission. Apollo captivated a generation, and there's not even very much to see on the moon.

    2. Re:Easy solution by DerekLyons · · Score: 2

      Don't send people to Mars, send unmanned rovers. Solves a bunch of other problems too, and saves a lot of money that can be used on other cool stuff.

      But, as always, you get what you pay for.

    3. Re:Easy solution by quenda · · Score: 3, Informative

      Apollo captivated a generation,

      Not for long. TV ratings dropped fast after the first landing. Even blowing up Apollo 13's service module was not enough to save the program from early cancellation.

  6. Citation Needed by DerekLyons · · Score: 2

    A dollar spent on an unmanned mission goes much further than a dollar spent on manned missions.

    [[Citation needed]]