All posts tagged: radiation

Researchers discover DNA’s hidden defense against UV radiation

Researchers discover DNA’s hidden defense against UV radiation

Published by Jenni Sidey

DNA sits in sunlight every day, absorbing ultraviolet radiation that can set off the kind of chemical changes linked to mutations, aging, and cancer. Yet most of the time, the molecule avoids catastrophe. New simulations suggest that this resilience depends not on one built-in escape route, but on a crowded, ultrafast network of molecular reactions. These reactions can dump harmful energy almost as soon as it appears. The research focused on guanine and cytosine, two of DNA’s four chemical bases, arranged in short stacked segments that mimic key features of the double helix. By tracking their behavior at the atomic scale, the team found that once UV energy enters the system, the excited state quickly shifts into charge-transfer arrangements. Then, it relaxes through several competing pathways, many involving tightly linked movements of electrons and protons. That picture is more complicated than the simpler models that have often dominated the field. Instead of following a single preferred track, the excited DNA fragments explored multiple routes back to stability. Often, this happened within femtoseconds. Each one of …

Brazil’s Lula Starts Radiation After Early-Stage Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Brazil’s Lula Starts Radiation After Early-Stage Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Published by Sam Flores

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO, ⁠May ⁠25 (Reuters) – Brazilian President ⁠Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has ​started preventive radiation treatment after being diagnosed with ‌early-stage skin cancer, doctors ‌treating the 80-year-old leftist leader and ⁠his ⁠office said on Monday. Lula had a basal cell ​lesion removed on April 24. “It was decided to proceed with complementary treatment with preventive, superficial ​radiotherapy on the scalp,” doctors at the Sirio-Libanes ⁠Hospital said in ⁠a medical note, ⁠adding ​Lula will maintain his daily activities without restrictions. A spokesperson ​for Brazil’s ⁠presidency told Reuters the “small” lesion was diagnosed as early-stage cancer and Lula would undergo 15 radiotherapy sessions to prevent further ⁠lesions. Lula is expected to run for a fourth non-consecutive ⁠term in October and currently leads right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro in several opinion polls for a potential second-round runoff. He is Brazil’s oldest sitting president and has had some health scares, including emergency surgeries in 2024 to treat and prevent bleeding ⁠in his head. Lula was treated for throat cancer in 2011. (Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia and Gabriel …

Massive Forest Fire Threatens Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Radiation Closely Monitored

Massive Forest Fire Threatens Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, Radiation Closely Monitored

Published by Jenni Sidey

It was only last month that Ukraine marked the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, but on Friday there is another major threat to the site, which Russia says it is closely monitoring, according to RIA. A massive forest fire is sweeping through the Chernobyl exclusion zone on Friday after a drone crashed near the defunct nuclear plant a day earlier, Ukrainian officials have said. Illustrative/AP: During a similar 2020 fire a radiation spike was detected at the Chernobyl exclusion zone. As firefighters battle to contain the blaze, local officials further say that for now radiation levels remained within “normal limits”; however, there’s been cause for alarm given the massive column of white smoke rising over the whole exclusion zone area. Ukrainian sources did not identify who sent to UAV, but only state that the fire started Thursday “as a result of a drone crash.” The Zelensky government has in the recent past frequently accused Russia of putting Chernobyl and other high secure nuclear sites under threat with its constant drone and aerial bombardment waves …

Ultra-thin new material shields spacecraft from electromagnetic waves and radiation

Ultra-thin new material shields spacecraft from electromagnetic waves and radiation

Published by Jenni Sidey

A shielding layer can do a lot of jobs badly if you ask too much of it. It can block electromagnetic interference but not neutrons. It can stop radiation but add too much bulk. Lastly, it can survive heat yet fail when bent, stretched, or shaped around real hardware. That tradeoff has become harder to ignore as spacecraft, medical systems, and advanced electronics move into harsher environments. In the new work, a team at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, or KIST, says it has built a single material that tackles several of those demands at once. The result is a thin, flexible, 3D-printable composite that can shield both electromagnetic waves and neutron radiation. The research was led by Dr. Joo Yong-ho at KIST’s Extreme Environment Shielding Materials Research Center. The material combines single-walled carbon nanotubes, known as SWCNTs, with boron nitride nanotubes, or BNNTs, inside a polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS, polymer matrix. What makes the design stand out is not just the ingredient list. It is the way the nanotubes assemble. Overview of 3D-printed …

40 Years After Explosion, Chernobyl Site Faces New Threats From Russia

40 Years After Explosion, Chernobyl Site Faces New Threats From Russia

Published by Sam Flores

new video loaded: 40 Years After Explosion, Chernobyl Site Faces New Threats From Russia Forty years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, officials are grappling with the impact of a 2025 Russian drone strike that set back decades of efforts to contain it. Ukrainian officials said the Russians deliberately targeted the structure, but the Kremlin has denied responsibility. By McKinnon de Kuyper April 29, 2026 Source link

New shield material thinner than a strand of hair, but blocks both cosmic electromagnetic waves and radiation

New shield material thinner than a strand of hair, but blocks both cosmic electromagnetic waves and radiation

Published by skeptic

A 3D-printed, ultra-thin, lightweight, high-performance shielding material comprised of two nanotubes has proven effective as a shield against both cosmic electromagnetic waves and radiation. Shielding materials are a necessity in key modern industrial settings-such as spacecraft, nuclear power plants, semiconductor equipment, and advanced medical devices-to protect both equipment and personnel from electromagnetic waves and radiation. But electromagnetic waves and neutron radiation can only be blocked with distinct materials, which are often heavy and inflexible. A flexible film material that blocks 99.999% of electromagnetic waves and reduces neutrons by approximately 72% A research team led by Dr. Joo Yong-ho at the Extreme Environment Shielding Materials Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology(KIST) have developed a new, lightweight solution to this problem, by combining carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which block electromagnetic waves, with boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), which absorb neutrons, to create a shell-structured, composite material capable of simultaneously blocking both types of radiation in a single thin layer. Credit: Korea Institute of Science and Technology Furthermore, by combining this with a polymer (PDMS), the …

The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation

The biggest threat to Chernobyl is no longer radiation

Published by skeptic

Tell someone you are visiting New York for work and they will be jealous. A Paris summit? Green with envy. But mention you are off to Chernobyl to cover the 40th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear disaster and you get a different reaction. Some people will earnestly warn you of the cancer risk, others will explain that radiation poisoning is unavoidable, all referencing sensationalist headlines, schlocky films and overly dramatic documentaries. That’s why we sought to gain access to the exclusion zone and dig up the facts. Has contamination faded, or worsened? Is nature mutated, burned and dying, or thriving? Will the area ever be repopulated? Could  Russia’s invasion of Ukraine unlock further radiation? Four decades on, there is certainly a lot to explore: engineering efforts to contain radiation, environmental changes as the vast cooling ponds drain and become forest, the growing populations of rare animals, including wolves and moose. But the story is unfortunately also greatly complicated by the war, with occupation by the Russians, their widespread vandalism and the subsequent recapture and …

Northumbria Uni secures £4m to decode Earth’s radiation belts

Northumbria Uni secures £4m to decode Earth’s radiation belts

Published by skeptic

Researchers at Northumbria University have been awarded £4 million to investigate one of space science’s most persistent mysteries: why Earth’s radiation belts behave so erratically. The five-year project aims to improve forecasting of space weather and strengthen protections for satellites that underpin modern life. Leader of the project, Professor of Space Physics Clare Watt, explained its importance: “Despite decades of research and sophisticated NASA missions that have sampled these harsh environments directly, the radiation belts have remained frustratingly unpredictable. “This project will help us understand whether that’s because we don’t fully grasp the physics involved, or because parts of the system are inherently chaotic and sensitive to tiny changes in conditions.” Understanding radiation belts Radiation belts are zones encircling Earth where charged particles become trapped by the planet’s magnetic field. Within these regions, particles can accelerate to near-light speeds, creating a hostile environment for spacecraft. For operators of satellite systems, the stakes are high. Fluctuations in radiation belts can damage electronics, degrade solar panels, and disrupt services such as GPS navigation, telecommunications, and weather monitoring. Yet despite …

Los Alamos neutron detector boosts accuracy in extreme radiation

Los Alamos neutron detector boosts accuracy in extreme radiation

Published by skeptic

A research team at Los Alamos National Laboratory has unveiled a new neutron detector designed to deliver accurate measurements across a wide range of radiation conditions, addressing long-standing technical and supply challenges in neutron detection. The system, known as the Integrated Composite Optical Neutron Sensor (ICONS), is currently patent-pending and is intended to operate reliably in both low-background environments and high-radiation settings. The development reflects growing demand for tools that can measure neutrons with precision in applications ranging from nuclear security to advanced energy research. Addressing a persistent measurement problem Accurately measuring neutrons has historically been difficult due to the nature of the particles themselves. Unlike charged particles, neutrons do not interact easily with matter, making detection inherently complex. The challenge is compounded by environmental variability: in some scenarios, neutron levels are extremely low, while in others they spike dramatically. Background radiation adds another layer of difficulty. Gamma radiation, which often accompanies neutron emissions, can obscure signals and lead to inaccurate readings in conventional systems. As a result, neutron detection technologies must be both highly …

Data From Chinese Moon Lander Shows Signs of Peculiar Radiation “Cavity”

Data From Chinese Moon Lander Shows Signs of Peculiar Radiation “Cavity”

Published by José Betancourt

Sign up to see the future, today Can’t-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech As NASA continues to push for a permanent presence on the Moon, future space travelers will face plenty of dangers, from micrometeorite showers battering the lunar surface to the unknown effects of spending prolonged periods of time in just one sixth of Earth’s gravity. Deep space radiation also remains a major hazard. NASA’s Artemis 2 mission, which is slated to launch as early as next week, will see astronauts venturing far beyond the Moon, reaching the furthest mankind has ever been away from home, and likely exposing them to significantly higher levels of radiation. The fear: such cosmic rays could penetrate astronauts’ bodies and damage DNA or increase the risk of developing cancer. But thanks to recent research by an international team of researchers, there may be a peculiar “cavity” of reduced cosmic radiation that could provide them with shelter. This cavity includes Moon and extends far beyond it into space, and only appears at a specific moment …