Ride Sally ride, but if you’re going to Mars… bring protection.
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Supernova explosions have left behind cosmic radiation in space that can cause DNA and ovarian damage. Scary!
The Earth’s protective magnetic field shields humans going to the moon…but what happens when we head to Mars?
Dr. Leon Parada and team from UC Irvine simulated radiation exposure on mice. For female mice, exposure to the rays reduced healthy ovarian follicles.
Greater exposure increased tumor development — impacting fertility long term. Longer space travel and less protection can cause serious damage to ovaries.
So before we all hop in a space shuttle, let’s make sure we protect female fliers… under 55… ish.
Leon Parada, K. N., Lawson, G., Chang, P., Blakely, E. A., Bajwa, L., Gramajo-Aponte, K., Getze, S., & Luderer, U. (2026). Irradiation with a mixed heavy ion beam induces ovarian follicle loss and dose-dependent mixed ovarian tumor development. Biology of reproduction, 114(4), 1400–1415. https://doi.org/10.1093/biolre/ioag019