istockphoto composite
Dr. Scott Solomon, a biologist from Rice University, is throwing a big wet blanket on Elon Musk’s plans to have humans colonize Mars.
The Sun reports that in his book, Future Humans: Inside the Science of Our Continuing Evolution, Solomon claims that any humans who try to live on Mars will be subject to such brutal living conditions that they will be forced to undergo drastic evolutionary changes.
These mutations will be caused by the high radiation and low gravitation forces present on the red planet. As a result, humans living on Mars could develop poor eyesight, weak muscles, a green skin tone, and brittle bones.
The lack of a protective ozone layer on Mars like we have on Earth will subject Mars colonists to massive doses of radiation and UV light.
“Science fiction has often portrayed Martians or aliens coming from Mars as being tall and lanky and thin,” Solomon wrote, adding, “Perhaps in the face of this high radiation, we might evolve some new type of skin pigment to help us deal with that radiation.”
Dr. Solomon also predicts that because people on Mars will be forced to live together in small enclaves, they will lose their ability to need see far distances as it would rarely be used.
The fact that Mars has 30 percent less gravity than Earth will also be an issue that will need to be addressed. Otherwise, as two other scientists, Eneko Axpe and Eric Appel, stated in a study conducted in 2020, a large portion of the Mars colonists will develop osteoporosis.
“A lot of people focus on the technological challenges of getting to Mars, or the psychological challenges of being in a spacecraft for 1,000 days, but not necessarily the fact that your bones decay,” Appel said. “Can people even make it, or will they be jello by the time they get there?”
Then again, Elon Musk has already stated that as part of his plan to colonize Mars (where he will become the Supreme Ruler of the planet), there is a “good chance” that the first settlers on Mars will die before any of Dr. Solomon’s concerns can even happen.
Where do we sign up?!