Fukushima’s Radioactive Puddles Are More Serious Than Anticipated

Fukushima's Radioactive Puddles Are More Serious Than Anticipated

Japan’s nuclear agency wants to raise the severity level of the new radioactive water leak at the Fukushima because the problem is more serious than initially expected.

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Fukushima’s Now Surrounded by Extremely Radioactive Puddles

Fukushima's Now Surrounded by Extremely Radioactive Puddles

A water tank at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan apparently sprung a leak recently. The latest reports from the northern prefecture say that puddles have collected all around the plant, and the implication is clear. Fukushima has a whole new radioactive water problem.

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DO-RA can measure background radiation

doraIt does seem as though the headphone jack on your smartphone is not there to just hold a pair of headphones – as there seems to be more and more companies and small start ups coming up with extension hardware to plug into said headphone jack, introducing a slew of capabilities in one way or another. This particular extension that is known as DO-RA happens to be a personal dosimeter-radiometer that is capable of measuring background radiation. Of course, the average man on the street would most probably not need this particular attachment, but considering how the quantified self/health tracking trend looks promising, who knows, there might just be enough to kick off this potential market for those who want to know just much background radiation they bask in every single day?

DO-RA’s creators were spot on in saying that Japan will be a key target market whenever it enters production. Apart from that, there are two other major targets – namely the US as well as Europe, although I do wonder whether Russia would be the top purchaser in Europe. It is tipped that DO-RA devices will be shipped at a rate of approximately 1 million each year into these three markets, and we do expect to see the DO-RA device enter into commercial production later this autumn.

Intersoft Eurasia is the Russian startup behind DO-RA, and they claim to have picked up 1,300 pre-orders for the device already over the course of the past few months, all without having to perform any kind of high profile or dedicated advertising. Most of the pre-orders were made by male iPhone and iPad owners, which goes to show just which demographic would fall for such a device. Expect the DO-RA device to retail for approximately $150, which happens to be a whole lot more affordable than rival portable dosimeters that tend to cost anywhere from $250 to $400. Would you pick up one of these puppies for yourself?

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[ DO-RA can measure background radiation copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Japan Wants to Build an Ice Wall to Contain Fukushima’s Radioactive Water

Japan Wants to Build an Ice Wall to Contain Fukushima's Radioactive Water

Radioactive water full of carcinogenic chemicals is leaking out of the Fukushima power plant at a critical rate, critical enough for the Nuclear Regulation Authority to deem the situation an "emergency." It’s one of those desperate times, and the measures under consideration sound a little bit desperate.

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Should You Actually Be Worried About Nuclear Radiation?

Should You Actually Be Worried About Nuclear Radiation?

Nuclear physics is a forbidding subject, even to trained physicists. To understand current news and discussions about nuclear science and technology, some background knowledge is required, and the high school science picture of the atomic nucleus as a tiny ball of protons and neutrons needs more refinement. Here are the basics.

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The Feds Say That Two Guys Made an X-Ray Weapon to Sicken People

The Feds Say That Two Guys Made an X-Ray Weapon to Sicken People

In an attempt to "secretly sicken opponents of Israel" and presumably star as the bad guys in a barely believable action movie, two guys from New York have been accused by the FBI of assembling a portable X-Ray weapon that would shoot lethal doses of radiation. Seriously. They were going to sell it to Jewish organizations or the KKK.

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Curiosity rover discovers dangerous levels of radiation during Mars transit

Data from NASA's Curiosity could help protect future explorers from radiation

While we’ve learned that radiation levels on Mars are safe for humans, actually getting there in the first place remains a problem. Recent results from Curiosity‘s Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) reveal that exposure even while safely ensconced inside a protected spacecraft is dangerously high. Explorers would be bombarded with 466 milliSieverts of high-energy galactic cosmic rays and solar particles during the 253-day transit and the same coming back, with total levels that could exceed NASA’s career radiation limit for astronauts. “In terms of accumulated dose, it’s like getting a whole-body CT scan once every five or six days,” said Cary Zeitlin, a principal scientist from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) who’s the lead author of the findings. A manned Mars voyage isn’t completely out of the question, but it does mean better shielding is necessary before such a trip — much less a future colony — becomes a reality.

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Source: NASA

Electron showers could create the nano-spacesuit of the future

Electron showers could create the nanospacesuit of the future

Historically, whenever man or beast’s been bombarded with massive amounts of radiation the results have either been gruesome or wholly fantastical (see: any superhero origin story). But recent research out of Japan indicates that a barrage of electrons could actually help scientists revolutionize microbiology and, more excitingly, space travel. The experiment, conducted by a team from the Hamamatsu University of Medicine, found that the larvae of fruit flies hit with this electron rush were able to withstand an electron microscope’s hostile vacuum unharmed and even grew to be healthy adults. The results weren’t so rosy for the untreated group which, understandably, suffered a grislier fate: death by dehydration. The magic, it turns out, is in that subatomic spray, as the group treated with an electron shower benefited from a polymerizing effect or, more plainly, a bonding of molecules just above the skin’s surface that yielded a tough, protective nano-layer measuring between 50- to 100-billionths of a meter thick. Finesse that technique some and it’s easy to why one NASA scientist thinks this could lead to the creation of a super-thin “space shield… that could protect against dehydration and radiation.”

The process is still far from foolproof, however, seeing as how an increase in the microscope’s resolution requires an equal boost in radiation — all of which is fatal to the insects. So, in order to go deeper and get a more close-up view of the larvae’s internals, the team’s currently exploring new methods of fabricating these “nano-suits” using an array of chemicals. If you’re wondering just how far-off we are from practical human application, then consider this: the amount of radiation required to form the bonded layer is akin to “sunbathing naked on the top of Everest under a hole in the ozone.” Which is to say, keep dreaming. And get Jeff Goldblum on the phone while you’re at it… we have a promising idea for a Return of the Fly sequel.

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Via: Wired

Source: ScienceNOW

Invisible Lightning Strikes Could Be Bombarding Planes With Radiation

Lightning is a terrifying yet majestic force of nature, especially when you see it from an airplane. But scientists have recently discovered that lightning can sometimes be invisible—and it could be bombarding planes with radiation as they fly. More »

FCC confident in its mobile phone radiation limits, seeks second opinions

FCC confident in its mobile phone radiation limits, seeks second opinions

Cast your memory back to last summer. Sweep away memories of iPhone 5 leaks galore, and you might remember that the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) asked the FCC to reevaluate its radiation limits for mobile phones. Now a few seasons later, the FCC has finally wrapped up a report that responds to the GAO, and there are no changes to its RF radiation levels in sight because it feels comfortable with its current caps. “We continue to have confidence in the current exposure limits, and note that more recent international standards have a similar basis,” reads the report. However, given that its guidelines were adopted in 1996, new research on radiation and the proliferation of mobile devices, the FCC would like some feedback regarding its restrictions. It’s put out a call for comments from concerned parties and even federal health and safety bodies.

Though the freshly-released document didn’t rock the proverbial boat, it made one change worth noting. The pinna (outer ear) is now classified an extremity, which means the FCC allows devices to hit the tissue with more radiation. Feel like poring through 201 pages of regulatory minutiae? Click the source link below for the commission’s full dossier.

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Via: The Verge

Source: FCC