Re: l'angolo della salute

Inviato da  ivan il 9/4/2014 22:48:17

Effetti sulla salute del vivere nello spazio :

link 6 Reasons Life in Space Sucks (That Sci-Fi Doesn't Show You)

Vi e' una parte interessante riguardo l'effetto delle radiazioni:

Citazione:

Things Get Trippy Whenever You Close Your Eyes


Astronauts aboard the very first space flights were befuddled and spooked by mysterious flashes of light they noticed while up in orbit. Big whoop, you might think -- it's freaking space, there must be any amount of weird shit going on. Maybe it was sunlight reflecting off a satellite, or some glinting piece of debris, or just a curious alien spacecraft.

There was just one problem: Those weird lights never occurred when they were actually looking at stuff. Those brilliant flashes were only visible with closed eyes. Yes -- in space, you've got your very own private disco in your head, baby! Also, you will probably think you're going crazy 24/7.

This free light show is caused by highly charged particles, aka radiation, whizzing through space and then directly into -- and through -- the eye's retina. As it strikes your gushy eye matter at great speed, it tricks your brain into thinking you're seeing lights. Earth's benevolent magnetic shield protects us from the majority of the electric matter that the sun is constantly throwing at us. Therefore, we don't get to enjoy a psychedelic firework show every time we blink. In space, there's no appreciable level of magnetic protection, so your eyes will have to deal with the sun's full penetrative fury.

At first, these lights might seem only like an inconvenience. Then, around your first sleeping shift, reality dawns: How the hell are you going to catch a moment of sleep when the insides of your eyelids are holding a Daft Punk concert? And, of course, it doesn't end there. Space is a vindictive bastard that also wants to screw you in the long run. The constant radiation penetration actually causes structural damage to the delicate tissues in your eyes, which may well lead to permanently messed up eyesight should you stay up there for more than a month.


E pare ci siano anche problemi di diabete:

Citazione:

Everyone Has Space Diabetes

One of the unadvertised perks of space life is the (completely free!) space diabetes you get to enjoy for the duration of your stay.

When your feeble human body is subjected to a microgravity environment, it starts displaying diabetes-like symptoms. Your glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity immediately go haywire, as does your body's natural insulin secretion. As insulin affects how you deal with both sugar and proteins (in amino acid form), your freshly warped hormone levels are also now top contenders in the "let's get rid of all your muscle mass" game your body likes to play in a weightless environment.

All of this gives you a condition that, although technically not diabetes, is extremely similar -- and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. As long as you're up there, all you can do is tend to your blood sugar levels and spew inventive swear words at the people who can still eat Reese's Pieces.

The situation is not hopeless, though. There is some effort to fix the space diabetes problem, and it looks like one of the most promising future solutions to the issue is, awesomely, introducing red wine into the space diet. Although astronauts are not currently allowed alcohol due to obvious reasons, red wine contains a heart-friendly chemical called resveratrol, which could go a long way toward fixing the problem. Of course, NASA isn't too keen about letting its employees drink on the job, but since when have you listened to what those guys say? Should you ever get that rocket you're building in your backyard to fly, it's totally worth taking a few bottles of claret with you. Because whatever could go wrong?