Monday, January 7, 2013

Space Travel May Be Harmful to the Brain

A new study has shown that cosmic radiation could speed up the process of possibly getting Alzheimer's disease.  "Galactic cosmic radiation poses a significant threat to future astronauts," said M. Kerry O'Banion, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and the senior author of the study. While space is full of radiation, the earth's magnetic field generally protects the planet and people in low earth orbit from these particles. However, once astronauts leave orbit, they are exposed to constant shower of various radioactive particles. We already knew that travelling to space caused acceleration with cancer but not to this severity. With appropriate warning, astronauts can be shielded from dangerous radiation associated with solar flares. But there are also other forms of cosmic radiation that, for all intents and purposes, cannot be effectively blocked. This is an issue to be concerned about especially if we want to continue exploring outer space.  In the future, I'm sure there will be plenty space trips made and these issues need to be addressed and fixed before they take off. The longer the astronaut is in space, the greater the exposure. "These findings clearly suggest that exposure to radiation in space has the potential to accelerate the development of Alzheimer's disease," said O'Banion. "This is yet another factor that NASA, which is clearly concerned about the health risks to its astronauts, will need to take into account as it plans future missions." I completely agree with O'Banion.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121231180632.htm

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