Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Biological Effects of Radiation

Biological Effects of Radiation

All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...

Nuclear Stability

Nuclear Stability

Protons and neutrons, collectively called nucleons, are packed together tightly in a nucleus. With a radius of about 10−15 meters, a nucleus is quite small compared to the radius of the entire atom, which is about 10−10 meters. Nuclei are extremely dense compared to bulk matter, averaging 1.8 × 1014 grams per cubic centimeter. If the earth’s density were equal to the average nuclear density, the earth’s radius would be only about 200 meters.
To hold positively charged protons together in the...

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power

Controlled nuclear fission reactions are used to generate electricity. Any nuclear reactor that produces power via the fission of uranium or plutonium by bombardment with neutrons has six components: nuclear fuel consisting of fissionable material, a nuclear moderator, a neutron source, control rods, reactor coolant, and a shield and containment system.
Nuclear Fuels
Nuclear fuel consists of a fissile isotope, such as uranium-235, which must be present in sufficient quantity to provide a...

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

Isotopes and Radioisotopes

In the early 1900s, English chemist Frederick Soddy realized that an element could have atoms with different masses that were chemically indistinguishable. These different types are called isotopes — atoms of the same element that differ in mass. Isotopes differ in mass because they have different numbers of neutrons but are chemically identical because they have the same number of protons. Soddy was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921 for this discovery.
An isotope containing more...

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear Transmutation

Nuclear transmutation is the conversion of one nuclide into another. It can occur by the radioactive decay of a nucleus, or the reaction of a nucleus with another particle. The first manmade nucleus was produced in Ernest Rutherford’s laboratory in 1919 by a transmutation reaction, the bombardment of one type of nuclei with other nuclei or with neutrons. Rutherford bombarded nitrogen-14 atoms with high-speed α particles from a natural radioactive isotope of radium and observed protons being...

Nuclear Fission

Nuclear Fission

Many heavier elements with smaller binding energies per nucleon can decompose into more stable elements that have intermediate mass numbers and larger binding energies per nucleon—that is, mass numbers and binding energies per nucleon that are closer to the “peak” of the binding energy graph near 56. Sometimes neutrons are also produced. This decomposition of a large nucleus into smaller pieces is called fission. The breaking is rather random with the formation of a large number of different...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Growth of germ-free birds fed antibiotics.

Antibiotics & chemotherapy (Northfield, Ill.)·2014

Same author

The activity of synthetic folic acid in purified rations for the chick.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2010

Same author

Effect of diet on the response of chicks to folic acid.

Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N.Y.)·2010

Same author

Studies on the liberation of compounds in the folic acid group.

The Journal of biological chemistry·2010

Same author

A differential, microbiological assay for O-heterobiotin.

Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N.Y.)·2010

Same author

Biological activity and metabolism of d, 1-0-heterobiotin in the chick.

Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine (New York, N.Y.)·2010

Same journal

Retraction: Flucytosine and Amphotericin B Coadministration Induces Dose-Related Renal Injury.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

Same journal

miRNA-Targeted Herbal Compounds Against Gastric Precancerous Evolution in Chronic Atrophic Gastritis.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

Same journal

Plant-Mediated Fabrication of Iron and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Anticancer Efficacy Against HT-29 and HepG2 Cells.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

Same journal

Total <i>Sanghuangporus vaninii</i> Extract Ameliorates Cisplatin-Induced Glioma Cell Death by Regulating Ferroptosis and Inflammation.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

Same journal

Causal Association Between Gut Microbiota, Plasma Metabolites, and Prostate Cancer: Two-Step Mendelian Randomization Study.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

Same journal

DMSO Protects Against Radiation-Induced Ovarian Injury by Preserving Mitochondrial Function and Alleviating DNA Damage.

Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis Society·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 27, 2026

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Published on: December 25, 2021

Atomic bomb health benefits.

¹Lawrence, KS, USA. tdl108@sunflower.com

Dose-Response : a Publication of International Hormesis Society

|December 18, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Low-dose radiation exposure, contrary to popular belief, may improve health and longevity. Studies on atomic bomb survivors show benefits like reduced cancer rates, challenging the linear no-threshold (LNT) model.

Keywords:

LNT atomic bomb cancer health lifespan mutation

More Related Videos

Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor

Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor

Published on: May 7, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 27, 2026

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes

Published on: December 25, 2021

Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor

Neutron Radiography and Computed Tomography of Biological Systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's High Flux Isotope Reactor

Published on: May 7, 2021

Area of Science:

Radiation biology
Public health
Epidemiology

Background:

Public perception of ionizing radiation is largely negative, influenced by atomic bomb devastation.
The linear no-threshold (LNT) model, positing harm from any radiation dose, has shaped regulations.
Scientific evidence for health benefits of low-dose radiation has been overlooked.

Purpose of the Study:

To re-evaluate the health effects of low-dose radiation exposure.
To investigate the validity of the linear no-threshold (LNT) paradigm.
To explore the potential health benefits of radiation hormesis.

Main Methods:

Analysis of long-term health data from Japanese atomic bomb survivors.
Examination of mutation rates, leukemia, and solid tissue cancer mortality.
Assessment of average lifespan in exposed populations.

Main Results:

Studies indicate decreased mutation rates and mortality from leukemia and solid tissue cancers.
Atomic bomb survivor data reveals increased average lifespan.
Observed health improvements suggest a threshold effect, contradicting the LNT model, with an average threshold around 100 centiSieverts (cSv).

Conclusions:

A single exposure to low-dose radiation can lead to a lifetime of improved health.
The findings negate the linear no-threshold (LNT) paradigm for radiation effects.
Radiation hormesis should be considered in the triage and treatment of survivors.