Thursday, October 14, 2021

Mars dementia

A couple days ago Gothenburg reported on blood-traces after prolonged weightlessness. It didn't look good. This on top of the usual atrophy that happens to anyone stuck outside normal human contact in the middle of nowhere.

As they note, they didn't look at the brain itself; but at the amyloid proteins - infamous for Oldtimer's Disease - and at the glials, which work to clean up damaged brain tissue. They were working overtime. As for those glials, even if there wasn't damage, those cells think there was so... glioblastoma risk. Just, ugh.

Even assuming the Chinese and/or Elon create their spinning torus on a cycler route to Mars: the crew will still likely need to go OVA for hours on end. And then there's the low gravity on Mars itself. Our own Moon is at least in striking distance of Earth so (hopefully) won't have permanent staff, until Heinlein's Revolt breaks out.

Glioblastoma and amyloid research is required for extended forays. Starting with predictive capability so they can sequester crewmembers who might risk the mission.

CAUSE 12/15: If hydrocephaly, we may have a mitigant.

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