Astronauts who make the round-trip to Mars may be rewarded with a unique badge of honor in the form of “cosmic kidney disease”, which is a hell of a lot less fun than it sounds. According to new research, the conditions experienced by interplanetary travelers can radically alter the structure and function on the kidneys, with prolonged exposure to microgravity and space radiation producing irreversible damage to this vital organ.“To put it in perspective, one year in the space station is equivalent to the same dose of radiation that a nuclear power plant worker is allowed safely in five years,” study author Dr Keith Siew told IFLScience. Even on the ISS, however, astronauts remain in Low Earth orbit (LEO) and therefore continue to receive protection from the Earth’s magnetic field against galactic cosmic radiation (GCR).So far, the only humans to ever be fully exposed to GCR are the 24 individuals who traveled to the Moon as part of the Apollo missions, yet these return trips never lasted more than 12 days. In contrast, a visit to Mars is likely to require several years in deep space, which adds up to an awful lot more radiation.“On deep space missions, no one's even considered the kidney might be damaged by the radiation, despite it being among the most radiosensitive organs,” says Siew.In their study, the researchers analyzed renal function and biomarkers from 66 astronauts and examined the kidneys of rodents that had traveled to the ISS. They also conducted a number of experiments designed to mimic the effects of long-distance space travel, bombarding mice and rats with the equivalent dose of radiation that an astronaut would receive on a multi-year trip to Mars.Results revealed significant “remodeling” of the kidney after less than a month in space, with a key component known as the distal convoluted tubule becoming shorter as a result of microgravity and radiation. This, in turn, results in “progressive and irreversible” loss of kidney function, although exactly what impact this would have on a mission to Mars remains unclear.“The kidney is a late responding organ, so you don't see anything wrong until much later. You can lose 75 percent of function before you really start to see proper symptoms and decline,” says Siew. As a result, astronauts may “feel perfectly normal” throughout a mission, only to experience catastrophic kidney failure after returning to Earth. “It's like having high blood pressure and your heart's getting damaged, and then one day you have a heart attack,” explains Siew.As terrible as this sounds for the human in the space suit, if the effects are delayed for long enough then it might not harm the mission itself. Of more pressing concern, however, are kidney stones, which are up to 14 times more common during spaceflight than they are on Earth and can put astronauts out of action at critical moments.Until now, the increased risk of kidney stones in space had largely been attributed to bone demineralization as a result of microgravity, yet the researchers’ metabolic analyses suggest that loss of kidney function may also be partly to blame. “You can't solve this problem by just trying to fix the bones. You have to look at fixing the kidney as well,” says Siew.Despite the seriousness of these findings, the researchers stress that their models may not accurately represent the effects of spaceflight, as they blasted their rodents with up to two-and-a-half years’ worth of GCR in short bursts of just 45 minutes. Whether or not the impact of this acute exposure matches up to the chronic exposure faced by interplanetary travelers remains unclear. “There's a real possibility that what we're seeing is effects of acute radiation that you wouldn't really be exposed to,” explains Siew. “So what we're looking at may actually be less harmful than what really will happen. Or it could be we’re overestimating the damage,” he says, adding that prolonged exposure to lower doses may be like “death by a thousand paper cuts.”Commenting on these findings in a statement, senior study author Professor Stephen B. Walsh said that “if you’re planning a space mission, kidneys really matter. You can’t protect them from galactic radiation using shielding, but as we learn more about renal biology it may be possible to develop technological or pharmaceutical measures to facilitate extended space travel.”“Any drugs developed for astronauts may also be beneficial here on Earth, for example by enabling cancer patients’ kidneys to tolerate higher doses of radiotherapy, the kidneys being one of the limiting factors in this regard.”The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

There’s something deliciously creamy about the band of stars that streaks across the night sky. Perhaps that’s why so many chocolate bars are named after celestial objects (I’m thinking Mars, Galaxy and Milky Way), although the story of how our spiraling home got its name actually has nothing to do with confectionery.The tale does involve a booby, though. And what a booby it is, belonging to none other than the goddess Hera, wife (and, err… sister) of Zeus, the big boss of the Ancient Greek pantheon. According to mythology, Hera was breastfeeding Zeus’s half-mortal son Heracles when she abruptly withdrew her nipple, spraying her milk and leaving a spectacular white streak smeared across the night sky. Inspired by this account, the Greeks invented the term galaxias, which has its root in the word ‘gala’, meaning milk.In later years, the Romans adapted this to ‘Via Galactica’, which translates as Milky Way. The modern English term ‘lactic’ - denoting anything related to milk - is therefore derived from ‘galactic’, implying that the white stuff is in fact heavenly in origin.Of course, not every culture subscribes to the same mythology, and our galaxy has gone by many different names since humans first began gazing upwards at night. The ancient Egyptians, for instance, envisioned the Milky Way as a goddess named Nut, who shielded the Earth from a watery abyss.The Lakota name for the Milky Way, meanwhile, is Wanái Thacháku, meaning Spirits’ Road, while some Baltic cultures use the term ‘Birds’ Path’ in reference to the fact that the galaxy’s north-south orientation at certain times of year mirrors the route taken by migratory birds.In Quechua, the galaxy is envisioned as a sacred river called Mayu, while the Chinese name translates as ‘Silver River’. So if you’re in the chocolate-making business and looking for a name for your bar, you may have just found it.

On Thursday night’s episode of MSNBC’s The ReidOut, host Joy Reid was joined by political analyst Fernand Amandi, and together they attacked Republicans for their apparently hypocritical immigration policies, even going so far as to invoke Adolf Hitler. Reid opened the segment with a criticism of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision to ship illegal immigrants to the elitist Martha’s Vineyard, when open-border-loving liberals immediately changed their tune to howl “humanitarian crisis.” She characterized the move as “a warning sign for what has become the right's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward a certain type of immigrant” and accused Republicans of “fear-mongering about immigration and about a so-called invasion [that] is actually belied by what’s happening on the ground.”     That false claim sounded terribly familiar. Almost like the time during Tuesday’s episode when she and Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal cackled about Republican “fear-mongering”. The same episode when Reid’s guest was audibly and disgustingly tickled by Fox News reporting on the rape of 13-year-old girl by an illegal immigrant in New York City.   Watch as Rep. Jaypal (D) and Joy Reid chuckle and call the r*pe of a 13-year-old girl by an illegal “fear-mongering.” What part about the r*pe of a minor is “fear-mongering” and funny to you @PramilaJayapal @JoyAnnReid?? pic.twitter.com/Q2mDcwlI4d — Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 20, 2024   After introducing Amandi, MSNBC’s host revealed what made her “so crazy” about the entire situation: When you look at states like Florida, their economy would actually collapse without migrant workers. We’ve got a couple of things here. The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. labor force. You can see it going up, up, up, up over the years from '95 to 2021. As our economy has gotten stronger and places like Florida have taken in $7.75 billion mainly from the agricultural field, why attack your workforce? As Reid pointed out, Republicans were crazy for passing up on the perfect opportunity for cheap labor. Amandi agreed, declaring it was “absurd and crazy” but “you always obey the cult leader.” He further bewailed the fact that illegal immigrants “pay billions every year into entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare, not to mention every other program that they are not going to benefit one red cent from, but…the American public as a whole, American citizens, of course–will benefit tremendously from.”  Reid continued to outrageously compare the “demonization” of illegal immigrants to Italian and Irish immigrants. Perhaps they forgot that those immigrants entered the country legally and also weren’t going around raping children. Yet, Amandi had choice words for the villainous Republicans and their policies, stating, “I can't explain the moral repugnance, the stark, raving hypocrisy, and really the lack of humanity, that that is displayed when you talk about that.” Furthermore, he took the opportunity to endear himself just a bit more to race-obsessed Reid, alleging that the entire issue centered on Republican racism and crowning the comparison with yet another Trump-Hitler parallel: The other issue here I think we can't ignore is immigrants are code for race, and people of color that Republicans are uncomfortable with and don't like. It’s easier to demonize immigrants as a concept, and you hit on that not-so-subtle dog-whistle of who the immigrants are. If we had tens of millions of people coming from Sweden, and Finland, and Norway, I doubt there would be, on the Republican right, the type of outrage that we see. But you also have to acknowledge the fact that Trump is utilizing the same language, the same demonization, and the same use of immigrants, now, in 2024, that Hitler used for Jews in the 1930s.  Reid and Amandi eventually decided that it was all evidence of “psychological disturbance” but in the end, justice would triumph, the tables would turn, and Republicans would become the targets of “greater intolerance [and] greater persecution.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: MSNBC’s The ReidOut 6/20/2024 07:54:15 PM EST JOY REID: Florida man Ron DeSantis first started trying to stand out from a crowded GOP primary field by turning migrants into political props and shipping them, first to Martha's Vineyard, before expanding it to other Democratic cities across America. Looking back at that stunt, which came at the start of the presidential primaries, it is now clear that it served as a warning sign for what has become the right's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward a certain type of immigrant. The Republican fear-mongering about immigration and about a so-called invasion is actually belied by what’s happening on the ground.  Joining me is Fernand Amandi, Democratic pollster and strategist and MSNBC political analyst. Great to see you, Fernand. This is the thing that makes, I think, me so crazy is that when you look at states like Florida, their economy would actually collapse without migrant workers. We’ve got a couple of things here. The number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. labor force. You can see it going up, up, up, up over the years from '95 to 2021. As our economy has gotten stronger and places like Florida have taken in $7.75 billion mainly from the agricultural field, why attack your workforce? FERNAND AMANDI: Because Donald Trump has asked them to because it's what you need to do to be a MAGA Republican today. And in the cult, you always obey the cult leader, no matter how absurd and crazy what the cult leader says.  Joy, just a couple of quick points here as well. In addition to economies collapsing, think about the fact that undocumented immigrants and many of the immigrant population that currently resides in the United States, they pay billions every year into entitlement programs, Social Security, Medicare, not to mention every other program that they are not going to benefit one red cent from, but that the American community–the American public as a whole, American citizens, of course–will benefit tremendously from.  Historically, as well, you also have to consider, Joy, real quick, we have never had a wave of immigrants in this country, in our history, that hasn't added and grown the country and made the country prosper, despite the demonization that has been consistent from the right and, a lot of times, every immigration wave that has happened. REID: No, absolutely. You know, I’m reminded that Italian migrants were first brought to the south in places like Louisiana because blacks were leaving. When the Great Migration happened, they still needed plantation labor. The earliest laborers were Italians. They were the second most lynched people because they were all so hated. Columbus Day was the fix after 11 of them got lynched in New Orleans. They were hated, then they said, “Okay, now they’re okay.” They brought Irish in to work in the mines. Then they were hated, then they matriculated them in. There's always been this hate.  But it seems weird to me that it is the grandchildren, and sometimes the children of immigrants, who are the most hostile to fellow immigrants. People like DeSantis, people like Rubio. I don’t understand it. Does it ma–you explain it to me. We’re both children of immigrants. AMANDI: Well, I mean, I can't explain the moral repugnance, the stark, raving hypocrisy, and really the lack of humanity, that that is displayed when you talk about that. I mean, someone like Marco Rubio, who would never, ever have had an opportunity to do anything in this country had the immigration laws that he is now advocating for been in place when his parents came as economic immigrants. His parents were not political exiles… REID: That’s right. AMANDI: …as he likes to claim over and over again. They came for economic reasons to the United States, as they should have, by the way, and which we are glad to have had them. But the fact that someone like Rubio and others, Ted Cruz… REID: Byron Donalds… AMANDI: …continue to make this case. Byron Donalds! I mean it’s–it’s absolutely… REID: …from Jamaica!  AMANDI: …from Jamaica. It’s repugnant. Joy, the other issue here I think we can't ignore is immigrants are code for race, and people of color that Republicans are uncomfortable with and don't like. It’s easier to demonize immigrants as a concept, and you hit on that not-so-subtle dog-whistle of who the immigrants are. If we had tens of millions of people coming from Sweden, and Finland, and Norway, I doubt there would be, on the Republican right, the type of outrage that we see. But you also have to acknowledge the fact that Trump is utilizing the same language, the same demonization, and the same use of immigrants, now, in 2024, that Hitler used for Jews in the 1930s.  REID: Yeah. AMANDI: Now, he hasn’t killed many of them, yet, but he’s already on the path to putting together camps, he’s called for these camps, he’s gonna put this in place, mass deportation forces, “Their poisoning the blood of the country.” It’s not just disturbing rhetoric, it is extremely dangerous rhetoric that cannot be tolerated in this country. REID: Yeah, and that’s–it’s Byron Donalds’ mom who came here from Jamaica, not him, he’s from Brooklyn. But, I mean, the reality is, is that these people are parroting things that would have hurt their own families, to your–to your very important point, but Trump already has done it. He’s took away more than 1000 migrants' children, some who were breast-feeding. There are more than 1000 children who still don't have their parents because he seized control of them, took these kids and separated them from their moms and dads. This is the most cruel and inhumane policy ever. You can't imagine anything other than, you know, the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II. It’s sick!  And he is coming back and–so again, what is causing some people who–that are themselves either immigrants or the daughters and sons of them, including–you get ‘em in Florida–that are going along with this? AMANDI: You know, there is always a reactionary, almost self-loathing component of wanting to belong by a certain class of people. And they think that by maybe being against those like them that came, that they can be more accepted into the society at large.  REID: Yeah. AMANDI: And we all know that’s just a recipe for greater intolerance… REID: That’s right. AMADNI: …greater persecution, because at the end of the day, they will be the targets eventually.  REID: That’s right. AMANDI: It will eventually come back to those folks.  REID: Yeah.  AMANDI: So, you know, why it happens, I can't explain a psychological disturbance, but, you know, it is sad to see happen. REID: Indeed. Fernand Amandi, thank you, my friend. Much appreciated. (...)

Andrew Cuomo Torches Biden, Defends Trump

Jaguarundis are weird little felines that are about the size of domestic cats, have long bodies with short legs and round, flattened heads.

Science fiction with real side effects.

Andrew Cuomo Rips The Biden Campaign, Drops Truth Bomb On Trump Lawfare [VIDEOS]

Fear Mongering?