Radiation

Space Audio available

TRAPPIST planets may be habitable in weirder ways than we thought

Michael Irving April 18, 2019

TRAPPIST-1 is one the most fascinating planetary systems discovered so far. Now, two new studies have looked at the habitability of these planets, with a focus on radiation from the star and tides caused by the other planets. Strangely enough, these factors could help make them more liveable.

Continue Reading

Science

Did a perfect supernova storm wipe out the Megalodon?

Michael Irving December 11, 2018

For millions of years, the apex predator of the oceans was a bus-sized shark known as the Megalodon. But around 2.6 million years ago they just disappeared. So what could wipe out a 50-ft (15-m) shark? According to a new study, the culprit was a series of supernovae exploding fairly close to Earth.

Continue Reading

Medical Audio available

Novel nanocrystals reduce X-ray radiation dose, while upping the resolution

Darren Quick October 25, 2018

An international team of researchers has developed novel nanocrystals that allow the radiation dose from a diagnostic X-ray to be much lower, while also enabling higher resolution images at a lower cost.

Continue Reading

Space

Bad news for Mars-bound astronauts – cosmic rays damage your GI tract

David Szondy October 2, 2018

In more bad news for future voyagers to Mars, a team of scientists has found that the cosmic rays that astronauts will encounter on long space voyages can cause heavy damage to their GI tract. Using animal tissue, they found that the radiation produces both immediate and long term health problems.

Continue Reading

Space

Orbiter data confirms manned Mars missions face severe radiation hazards

David Szondy September 19, 2018

Data returned by the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter indicates that astronauts on even short future Mars missions could face significant space radiation hazards and would be exposed to at least 60 percent of their total lifetime career radiation exposure limit.

Continue Reading

Medical

Wearable yeast colonies act as "canaries" for radiation exposure

Michael Irving August 10, 2018

Researchers at Purdue University have developed a living device for radiologists, using yeast colonies in wearable patches to monitor how much radiation a person is being exposed to.

Continue Reading

Space

Comprehensive radiation maps to aid search for life on Europa

David Szondy July 24, 2018

Europa is regarded as one of the most likely places in the solar system to find life, but where to look for evidence of it? To aid future space missions, a team has drawn up comprehensive maps of the radiation bombarding the moon to determine where explorers must look to find signs of life.

Continue Reading

Space

Understanding the feeding habits of supermassive black holes is a matter of perspective

Anthony Wood May 31, 2018

A new computer model could help astronomers to interpret the radiation emitted by supermassive black holes as they rip apart and devour unfortunate stars. These extreme "feeding" episodes are known as Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs), and are thought to be incredibly rare.

Continue Reading

Space

Breakthrough drug could prevent brain damage caused by cosmic radiation

Rich Haridy May 21, 2018

A big challenge humanity faces in venturing off Earth and into deep space is how to tackle the dangers of cosmic radiation.​ A team has now discovered a drug treatment that could not only prevent cognitive deficits caused by this radiation, but actually repair damage in the brain after exposure.

Continue Reading

Environment

Ozone layer not recovering in lower latitudes

Alayna Hansen February 5, 2018

A new study has revealed that ozone levels in the heavily populated lower latitudes don't seem to be recovering as well as regions near the poles. Although there isn't yet a clear explanation as to why this is happening, blame may still rest on short-lived ozone-destroying chemicals.

Continue Reading