The dangerous side effect travelling to Mars could have on humans

Travelling to Mars could speed up the ageing process, making it dangerous to send humans to the planet, new research reveals.

Director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at Mayo Clinic, Dr James Kirkland, says there are fears the trip will accelerate cellular ageing.

“We do know that astronauts travelling at a distance from Earth … exhibit some changes that are consistent with an acceleration of DNA molecules inside cells that’s linked to a process called senescence which is a fundamental driver of aging processes,” he told Emily Power and Jimmy Bartel, filling in for Ross and Russel.

“If there happens to be a solar flare during a flight to Mars the atoms that are set out at high velocity from the sun as part of atomic radiation can induce our cells to become senescent and these senescent cells can drive a lot of diseases and related changes.

“There is some scientific reason to be concerned that there might be some acceleration of fundamental aging processes.”

Elon Musk’s SpaceX plans to send flights to Mars en masse, potentially as early as 2026.

Mayo Clinic researchers will commence the first study into the potential ageing effect of Mars trips in February.

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