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from the Scott-is-also-a-few-microseconds-younger-now dept.
NASA has released preliminary results from the genetic study of twin brothers Scott and Mark Kelly:
The first results from NASA's Year in Space brothers are in, and show glimpses of how stressful a trip to Mars could be for the human body. Astronaut Scott Kelly captivated minds when he departed Earth in March 2015, bound for a yearlong stay at the International Space Station. Part of the excitement surrounded an experiment with his twin brother Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut who stayed on Terra Firma. At this week's NASA Human Research Program workshop, researchers revealed that the trip created contrasts in their genes' regular activities.
[...] Genomic data was taken before, during and after Scott Kelly launched to the ISS aboard a Soyuz rocket in Mar. 2015. He returned in 2016, after spending 340 consecutive days in outer space. A future mission to Mars would take at least 9 months, but a round trip would be 500 days. Scott's gene expression and DNA methylation fell back to their pre-flight status shortly after he returned from the space station. What this means exactly is still unclear, but scientists are eager to learn more.
Also at The Verge.
(Score: 2) by RamiK on Wednesday February 01 2017, @04:59PM
This story is a decent scientific basis for energy shields
I'm guessing any compact generator powerful enough to produce that much excess energy is going to give off enough radioactivity and heat that you'll end up needing space ports to put together massive ships regardless.
On the subject of effective all around energy shields, look no further then the thermosphere for the minimal requirements.
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