Trip to Mars could cause dementia in astronauts – studyWASHINGTON — Astronauts traveling to Mars might be at risk of long-term brain damage and even dementia due to galactic cosmic ray exposure, a new study said Monday. (Photo courtesy of bykst/ Pixabay)To explore a phenomenon called “space brain,” researchers from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) exposed rodents to highly energetic charged particles — fully ionized oxygen and titanium — at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at New York’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. These particles are much like those found in the galactic cosmic rays that will bombard astronauts during extended spaceflights, according to the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, which is part of NASA’s Human Research Program. “This is not positive news for astronauts deployed on a two-to- three-year round trip to Mars,” Limoli said. “The space environment poses unique hazards to astronauts.

Source: Manila Bulletin October 11, 2016 00:22 UTC