"Radiation on Mars is so intense that it could endanger astronauts sent to explore the Red Planet, and it's unlikely that any extraterrestrial life would survive there, NASA scientists said."

Well, that's an exaggeration, they're only saying that it exceeds their safety limits. Sure, more astronauts will get cancer etc, but the level is okay for a colony or humans/plants/animals to survive if they have everything else they need.

"The radiation would expose astronauts in orbit to an effective dose 2.5 times greater than that received by humans in low Earth orbit aboard the international space station."

It does highlight the fact that we are lucky not to be bombarded by space radiation, and we should be prepared for any increase of radiation hitting Earth, or decrease in the magnetic shield or atmosphere that protect us.