Traveling to Mars? Cosmic Rays Could Fry Your Brains, Study Shows

A new research suggests that a trip to Mars will expose anyone to dementia-causing radiation. The discovery is particularly bad news for astronomers who are on a mission to conquer Mars in the next years.

Researchers at University of California wanted to find out what challenges could Mars-bound astronomers face on their mission. In line with the exploration of what they call as the "Space brain," the researchers conducted an experiment at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at New York's Brookhaven National Laboratory.

After exposing rodents to doses of high-energy charged particles, the scientists found out through results sent to Limoli's UCI lab, that the rodents developed cognitive impairments including memory loss, anxiety, and chronic dementia.

It was revealed that exposure to highly charged particles such as those found in cosmic rays poses the greatest risks.

According to Science Alert, highly charged particles such as those found in cosmic rays may bombard astronauts during extended space flights and these may result to significant levels of brain inflammation and neuron damage which will primarily affect the learning and memory of the astronauts.

To make it worse, the cognitive impairment may still be experienced by the astronauts even six months after they have returned from their mission

"This is not positive news for astronauts deployed on a two-to-three-year round trip to Mars," said the professor of radiation oncology in UCI's School of Medicine in a press release.

"The space environment poses unique hazards to astronauts. Exposure to these particles can lead to a range of potential central nervous system complications that can occur during and persist long after actual space travel -- such as various performance decrements, memory deficits, anxiety, depression and impaired decision-making. Many of these adverse consequences to cognition may continue and progress throughout life."

As noted by NDTV, Limoli said that as a partial solution, the spacecraft could be designed with increased shielding. Nevertheless, these highly energetic charged particles will traverse the ship in any way. In short, there is no escaping them.

Their study appears in Nature's Scientific Reports.