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

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…