Body & Soul2 mins ago
nuclear holocaust
7 Answers
just watched that episode of only fools and horses where they build the nuclear fall out shelter... and rodney talks about mutants roaming around...
just wondered - where did the idea of radiation poisoning causing mutations come from? as far as i understand it - radiation poisoning screws with your DNA - and i think, if im right, stops your DNA from replicating - so you just end up dying in agonising pain - not mutating into some horrific wierd monster!!!
and if im right - the idea that cockroaches will rule the world is also wrong - they call survive a certain amount of radiation - but i read somewhere once that they have discovered other life forms that can survive insane amounts of radiation - but can repair their DNA as well as survive extreme tempretures - more so than any cockroach...
just curious is all
just wondered - where did the idea of radiation poisoning causing mutations come from? as far as i understand it - radiation poisoning screws with your DNA - and i think, if im right, stops your DNA from replicating - so you just end up dying in agonising pain - not mutating into some horrific wierd monster!!!
and if im right - the idea that cockroaches will rule the world is also wrong - they call survive a certain amount of radiation - but i read somewhere once that they have discovered other life forms that can survive insane amounts of radiation - but can repair their DNA as well as survive extreme tempretures - more so than any cockroach...
just curious is all
Answers
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Radiation will not make you mutate if you suffer it.
However, Mutation can come about in offspring. In some cases of ( I think) lizards) found in cooling water from Nuclear Power stations, cases of animals with the wrong number of limbs heve been found - or even, I believe, the wrong number of heads. These are the offspring of lizards ( or whatever) which have had their DNA damaged by radiation.
The immediate damage done directly by radiation can be cancer. Mutation can only be second-hand.
However, Mutation can come about in offspring. In some cases of ( I think) lizards) found in cooling water from Nuclear Power stations, cases of animals with the wrong number of limbs heve been found - or even, I believe, the wrong number of heads. These are the offspring of lizards ( or whatever) which have had their DNA damaged by radiation.
The immediate damage done directly by radiation can be cancer. Mutation can only be second-hand.
I remember watching a documentary on Discovery or National Geographic about the pets left behind when Chernobyl was evacuated. None of the (now feral) cats or dogs were showing any ill effects. This was due to their natural life cycle not being long enough for any of the ill effects of the radiation to become apparent.
Sorry atalanta, but radiation WILL cause mutation in a living organism. However, as you say, they don't change the body structure of a developed organism. These mutations are in the cells and are usually fatal because they cause cancer.
The classic radiation mutations of the televison legend could theoretically occur in the development of the offspring. However they are far more likely to be fatal than provide some kind of advantage.
The classic radiation mutations of the televison legend could theoretically occur in the development of the offspring. However they are far more likely to be fatal than provide some kind of advantage.
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