SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the this-is-your-brain-on-cosmic-rays... dept.
As NASA prepares for the first manned spaceflight to Mars, questions have surfaced concerning the potential for increased risks associated with exposure to the spectrum of highly energetic nuclei that comprise galactic cosmic rays. Animal models have revealed an unexpected sensitivity of mature neurons in the brain to charged particles found in space. Astronaut autonomy during long-term space travel is particularly critical as is the need to properly manage planned and unanticipated events, activities that could be compromised by accumulating particle traversals through the brain.
Using mice subjected to space-relevant fluences of charged particles, we show significant cortical- and hippocampal-based performance decrements 6 weeks after acute exposure. Animals manifesting cognitive decrements exhibited marked and persistent radiation-induced reductions in dendritic complexity and spine density along medial prefrontal cortical neurons known to mediate neurotransmission specifically interrogated by our behavioral tasks.
This was stated a little more readably at ScienceDaily:
What happens to an astronaut's brain during a mission to Mars? Nothing good. It's besieged by destructive particles that can forever impair cognition, according to a radiation oncology study. Exposure to highly energetic charged particles -- much like those found in the galactic cosmic rays that bombard astronauts during extended spaceflights -- cause significant damage to the central nervous system, resulting in cognitive impairments.
[Related]: Space Radiation On the Long Trip To Mars Could Make Astronauts Dumber
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Monday May 04 2015, @09:39PM
Okay, I thought that Luna did not spin on it's, but just orbited the Earth showing the same hemisphere to us always.
(Score: 2) by Fluffeh on Monday May 04 2015, @10:24PM
Okay, I thought that Luna did not spin on it's, but just orbited the Earth showing the same hemisphere to us always.
So think about that for a moment, something that orbits another body - yet always has the same side facing it. How could that object NOT be spinning on its own axis? :)
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Tuesday May 05 2015, @12:08PM
Yes, I see it now.
I got myself trapped into thinking soley from a 'bound on earth' perspective.
Yes, I am just another earth-bound misfit... (apologies to Pink Floyd))
BTW, thanks for the reply and correction. :-)
I would much rather be correct in science discussions, than thinking I am 'right'.
(Score: 2) by Ryuugami on Tuesday May 05 2015, @12:43AM
orbited the Earth showing the same hemisphere to us always
Yes, but that is because the rotation and revolution are synchronized (the Wikipedia article on tidal locking [wikipedia.org] has some illustrations).
An experiment:
- Take your cellphone, turn the camera towards a wall, then spin around with the cellphone in your hand while keeping the camera pointed at the same wall. From your point of view, it will seem like the phone made one full rotation, but the camera is fixed on a single wall - the phone didn't rotate around it's own axis.
- Next, keep the camera pointed away from you while you spin around, you will always see the same side, so it will seem stationary to you. If you look at the video, though, you will see it made the full circle - the phone rotated around it's own axis.
If a shit storm's on the horizon, it's good to know far enough ahead you can at least bring along an umbrella. - D.Weber
(Score: 2) by rts008 on Tuesday May 05 2015, @11:57AM
LOL! I love the explaination, even though I don't(never have) owned a cell phone. (moot point about cell phone--I understood it)
Thanks, because I was still trying to wrap my head around it. Now it's so obvious. D'oh!