Scientists warn aspiring astronauts they may contract cancer by going to Mars

Scientists estimate that the risk of cancer doubles for long-term missions outside Earth’s magnetic field.

A study by Francis Cucinotta, professor at the department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences and Eliedonna Cacao, a PhD student at the University of Nevadain Las Vegas which backed the claim was published in Scientific Reports last month.

Read also: India edges closer to manned missions, set to launch its heaviest rocket

Radiation in space is made up of high energy particles streaming from the sun and sources beyond our galaxy.

They collide and tear through the nucleotides in DNA, disrupting the building blocks of life in the process and increasing the chances of genetic mutations and cancer.

Such rays are detrimental to the astronaut’s health and cannot be completely prevented with current protective methods, Cucinotta said in a statement on Monday.

 

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