Roadblock to Manned Mars Mission? Cosmic Rays May Damage Astronauts' Brains

It may not be space debris, errant asteroids, supply shortages, thruster malfunctions or even the malevolent aliens envisioned in so many Hollywood films that thwart astronauts on any mission to Mars. It may be the ubiquitous galactic cosmic rays.
Researchers said on Friday long-term exposure to these rays that permeate space may cause dementia-like cognitive impairments in astronauts during any future round-trip Mars journey, expected to take at least 2-1/2 years.
In a NASA-funded study, mice exposed to highly energetic charged particles like those in galactic cosmic rays experienced declines in cognition and changes in the structure and integrity of brain nerve cells and the synapses where nerve impulses are sent and received.The irradiated particles in galactic cosmic rays, remnants of star explosions called supernovas, can penetrate spacecraft and astronauts' bodies. Earth itself is protected by its magnetosphere.University of California, Irvine radiation oncology professor Charles Limoli said "without a doubt" people would face the same issues as the mice."Astronauts may incur cognitive impairments that lead to performance decrements, confusion, increased anxiety and longer-term problems with cognitive health," said Limoli, whose study appears in the journal Science Advances.This could compromise mission critical activities, especially if unanticipated situations arise during deep spaceflight, Limoli said.The mice, genetically altered to have green fluorescent neurons to help structural analysis, were exposed to the rays at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and then analyzed six weeks later.In addition to the brain neuron and synapse changes, the mice exhibited decreased performance on learning and memory tests. They also lacked curiosity and were sluggish in experiments involving objects placed in a box with them."Previous studies show synaptic impairment or loss of synapses is an early and invariant feature of Alzheimer's disease, and there is a strong correlation between the extent of synapse loss and the severity of dementia," said University of California, Irvine neuroscientist Vipan Kumar Parihar.NASA says it is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s.NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz said a Mars mission would take at least 2-1/2 years: a six-month journey there, a stay on Mars of at least 18 months, and a six-month flight back.Limoli said while Mars-bound astronauts cannot fully escape the rays, it may be possible to design spacecraft with areas of increased protective shielding.

Ranbir Kapoor: My wedding date was fixed six 

years back.

No matter how much you push Ranbir-Katrina to spill the beans on their marriage the duo will not budge. After Katrina dodged the questions at an event this weekend, Ranbir has asked the media to stop speculating on that front.

Ranbir Kapoor says is in love but there are no wedding plans as of now.

On whether hisI am in love but no wedding plans right now, says Ranbir Kapoor wedding will be a private affair, Ranbir said, "I think you cannot keep it private. We are actors. My wedding date was fixed six years back. It's a special day so let me announce it. But right now there are no plans."

"I am in love and I do feel committed and responsible. But when it comes to wedding, so much speculation spoils the fun. I would request media to stop speculating about my wedding date," he added.

The lovely couple went on a holiday to Maldives last week, prior to that they were spotted dining with Ranbir's family at a posts restaurant in Mumbai. Seems like the Katrina has won over not only Ranbir but also his khandaan. We are waiting for the D-Day.

Ranbir, Katrina clicked arriving in Maldives 

Ranbir's who will be seen soon in Bombay Velvet, hopes it works for him.

"Yes there is a pressure and as an actor you want to deliver good films. When Besharam didn't do well I took the responsibility that we went wrong with that film. But I also feel that you have to stay true to your work. We have worked hard on this film ("Bombay Velvet") and hope this film works."

Directed by Anurag Kashyap Bombay Velvet features Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Karan Johar among others. The film is slated for May 15 release.

Islamic State hit with 24 air strikes by US, allies

The United States and its allies staged 24 strikes on Islamic State targets in Iraqand Syria in a 24-hour period ending Saturday, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.

Seventeen of the strikes were in Syrianear the cities of Raqqah, Kobani, Al Hasakah and Dair Az Zawr, hitting Islamic State units, fighting positions, vehicles and other targets.

In Iraq, seven air strikes near Mosul, Ramadi, Bayji, Tal Afar and Fallujah hit 

units, buildings, fighting positions and a supply cache, the statement said.The strikes took place on Friday and Saturday. A group monitoring the conflict said 52 civilians had been killed in a coalition air strike in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo on Friday. The US military said Saturday it could not confirm the civilian deaths but was looking into the allegation.

Oil off 2015 highs on record Iraq exports, strong 

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  An oil field is seen at sunrise near Bakersfield,

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices eased off 2015 highs on Friday after Iraq said its crude oil exports hit a record in April, and on pressure from a stronger dollar.

Both Brent and U.S. crude settled well above intraday lows, supported by data showing another slip in drilling rig activity and news of a shut gasoline-making unit in Venezuela.

Venezuela's 645,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Amuay refinery has halted its catalytic cracking unit for maintenance, helping U.S. RBOB gasoline (RBc1) and ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) (HOc1) futures post higher settlements on the first day of trading with June contracts in front-month position.

June Brent (LCOc1) crude fell 32 cents to settle at $66.46 a barrel, after falling to $65.52 and having earlier matched Thursday's 2015 peak of $66.93. Brent jumped 21 percent in April.

U.S. June crude (CLc1) fell 48 cents to settle at $59.15, after hitting a 2015 high of $59.90 and recovering from a $58.32 intraday low. U.S. crude futures gained 25 percent last month.

Trading volume was thinned as some major markets were closed for the May Day holiday.

Friday's pullback was initially sparked by news that Iraq's oil exports rose in April to a record 3.08 million bpd from 2.98 million bpd in March, which served as a reminder of ample supply in the market.

OPEC supply in April rose to its highest in more than two years at 31.04 million bpd, according to a Reuters survey.

"What is driving prices these days is less physical markets, which remain very weak, but more expectations of future tightening," said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects.

Despite a sharp drop in U.S. shale drilling in recent months, there have been few signs that a global supply glut is easing.

Oil services firm Baker Hughes Inc (BHI.N) said on Friday that U.S. drilling activity fell by 24 rigs, fewer than the 31 rigs idled last week.

"If markets don't tighten as quickly as people are expecting, the sell-off can be large," Sen said.

The U.S. dollar index (.DXY) posted its best daily gain in a month, up from a two-month low on signs that the U.S. economy may be stabilizing after a soft patch.

The stronger dollar helped pressure several dollar-denominated commodities, including oil. (.TRJCRB)

Speculators cut their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to April 28, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Friday.

Here’s what happened when scientists blasted mouse brains with radiation to simulate what it'd be like to get hit with a cosmic ray

(NASA) The sun, our closest source of radiation. The vacuum of space is filled with dangerous radiation that can seep through spacecraft, 

spacesuits, and even the bodies of astronauts, and scientists are trying to figure out the risks

 it poses for humans traveling beyond Earth's protective atmosphere.So if we ever want to send humans to Mars, scientists need to know what would happen to us if we get hit with

 radiation from a cosmic ray or a solar flare. 

To get some insight, scientists exposed mice brains to radiation blasts designed to mimic a

 cosmic ray in a new study published May 1 in the journal Science Advances. Results

 showed that the mice experienced major brain inflammation that interrupted the ability of

 their neurons to communicate with each other. That seriously messed up the mice's 

cognitive  function and affected their ability to both learn and remember."This is not

 positive news for astronauts deployed on a two- to three-year round trip to Mars,"

 Charles Limoli, lead study  author and professor of oncology, said in a press release.

We don't know that much about  what radiation does to astronauts because the

 International Space Station (ISS) hovers

within the planet's magnetosphere that protects against most dangerous space

radiation. Still, even ISS astronauts are required to wear dosimeters that measure

 how much radiation they're exposed to, and once they reach a certain limit, NASA

 will not allow them into space again. A mission to Mars holds many more risks than 

just hanging out on the (ISS). While traveling to the red planet, humans will have to 

fly straight through the radiation-filled remnants of billions of star explosions and

through the dangerous streams of solar flares constantly erupting from the sun. So

it's critical that NASA and other space agencies understand how space radiation can

 affect human health. Obviously we can't expose human brains to radiation, but

studying how it affects the brains of mice can give us some insight into how it 

might affect us.

Blasting brains

Researchers took an initial brain scan of a group of mice and then hit them with a

 stream of ionized oxygen and titanium that mimics the type and intensity of radiation

we'd encounter in space. Six weeks later they scanned the brains of the mice again and 

found some serious changes.

The mice had far fewer dendritic synapses — the branch-shaped structures on

neurons that carry signals from neuron to neuron. Here you can see the dendrites

before the radiation (left) and after the radiation (right):

(Science Advances) Mouse brains before the radiation (left) and after the

 radiation (right). 

The stream of radiation acted like a spray of bullets and broke off pieces of the 

dendrite branches.

The researchers then put the radiation-exposed mice and a group of radiation-

free mice through a series of tests designed to measure learning ability and memory.

The radiated mice were less curious and less interested in the learning tests than

the normal mice and they were more easily confused on the memory tests.

What this means for space travel

If something similar happens to the brains of humans, that could significantly

 influence an astronaut's ability to react to an emergency in space or concentrate 

on high-stress tasks, the authors conclude.

"Although we cannot simulate exactly the complex and prolonged charged particle

 irradiation pattern encountered in space, the present data do demonstrate that

there is some likelihood of developing certain radiation-induced cognitive deficits,

" they write in the paper.Other research has shown that loss of dendritic branches is

 linked to cognitive diseases like Alzheimer's. Similar but more severe results have been 

observed in brain cancer patients who get much higher doses of radiation in cancer

 treatments.It would likely take months for any kind of brain impairment to show up in

 astronauts if they were hit with a high-intensity beam of radiation, Limoli said. But that's

plenty of time for damage to set in during a mission to Mars, which would take at least

 six months using on today's space travel technology.

Solutions for long-term space travel could include outfitting spacecraft with areas

that can shield against radiation better, but there's really no way to completely

 avoid exposure, according to Limoli.

Right now Limoli is working on treatments that can protect against neuron damage, 

but the research is still in its infancy.