Radiation
hideIn physics, radiation describes any process in which energy emitted by one body travels through a medium or through space, ultimately to be absorbed by another body. Non-physicists often associate the word with ionizing radiation (e.g., as occurring in nuclear weapons, nuclear reactors, and radioactive substances), but it can also refer to electromagnetic radiation (i.e., radio waves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, and X-rays) which can also be ionizing radiation, to acoustic radiation, or to other more obscure processes. What makes it radiation is that the energy radiates (i.e., it travels outward in straight lines in all directions) from the source. This geometry naturally leads to a system of measurements and physical units that are equally applicable to all types of radiation.
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News tagged with radiation
Scientists Create Material More Insulating than the Vacuum
9 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- With its complete lack of atoms, a vacuum is often considered to be the best known insulator. For this reason, vacuums are regularly used to reduce heat transfer, such as in the lining of ...
Turning metal black more than just a novelty
Dec 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Rochester optics professor Chunlei Guo made headlines in the past couple of years when he changed the color of everyday metals by scouring their surfaces with precise, high-intensity laser bursts.
Lightning-produced radiation a potential health concern for air travelers
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 07, 2009 |
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New information about lightning-emitted X-rays, gamma rays and high-energy electrons during thunderstorms is prompting scientists to raise concerns about the potential for airline passengers and crews to be ...
Scientists observe super-massive black holes using Keck Observatory in Hawaii
3 hours ago |
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An international team of scientists has observed four super-massive black holes at the center of galaxies, which may provide new information on how these central black hole systems operate. Their findings ...
NRL's MISSE7 launched aboard STS-129
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 07, 2009 |
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The Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 7, designed and built by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), launched aboard STS-129 on November, 16, for transport to the International ...
Understanding DNA Repair and Cancer
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A protein that plays a key role in copying DNA also plays a vital role in repairing breaks in it, UC Davis scientists have found. The work is helping researchers understand how cancer cells can resist radiation ...
Better-than-new LIDAR provides 24/7 atmospheric aerosol data
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers from eight institutions led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has solved a software and hardware problem that had perplexed scientists studying atmospheric aerosols ...
Children who survive cancer more likely to suffer from heart disease
Dec 09, 2009 |
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Children and adolescents who survive cancer have a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease as young adults, according to the largest study on this issue published on bmj.com today.
Jefferson neurosurgeon helps draft new treatment guidelines for brain metastases
11 hours ago |
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New treatment guidelines for patients with brain metastases are now available from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). David Andrews, M.D., F.A.C.S., ...
Understanding ocean climate
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
9 hours ago |
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High-resolution computer simulations performed by scientists at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton (NOCS) are helping to understand the inflow of North Atlantic water to the Arctic Ocean and how ...


