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Space

We are a long way from pregnancy being safe on Mars

Dangerous radiation reaches Mars at levels we aren't exposed to on Earth, which makes the Red Planet a particularly dangerous place to be during pregnancy

By James Woodford

8 November 2024

Mars may not be the next frontier in human settlement

NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

Mars is often touted as the next planet people could inhabit, but the amount of radiation we would be exposed to would significantly raise the risk of fetal abnormalities, and existing technologies can’t get around it.

Compared with Earth, the surface of Mars is exposed to much higher levels of radiation, which can kill cells and cause cancer.

Amid plans to explore more of our solar system, Abdurrahman Engin Demir of…

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