“I have discovered something interesting, but I do not know whether or not my observations are correct.” With these words, Wilhelm Röntgen introduced the world to an invisible power, a power which would in turn be used to both harm and heal. This week, we take a tour of the wide world of radiation, starting with a primer on what radiation actually is and how it works, courtesy of Dr. Timothy Jorgensen, Associate Professor of Radiation Medicine and Director of the Health Physics and Radiation Protection Graduate Program, Georgetown University. Then we discuss the nitty gritty on what radiation does to you on a cellular level. We follow that up with a stroll through some of the major moments in the history of radiation - from X-rays to atomic bombs and from radioluminescent paint to cancer treatments. Finally we wrap things up by chatting about the many amazing medical applications of radiation therapy and how you can assess the risk/benefit of that X-ray or mammogram.
To read Dr. Jorgensen’s incredible book Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation, check out his website or head to our website for our full list of sources.
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Ep 42 Dandy Dengue Fever
Ep 41 Ricin: A Bad Seed
Ep 40 Dancing Plague: Worst Dance Party Ever
Ep 39 Toxoplasmosis: Calling All Cats
Ep 38 Lead Poisoning: Heavy Metal Episode
Ep 37 E. coli (unless it's beets)
Ep 36 Shades of Syphilis
Ep 35 Lyme Disease: I'd like to check you for ticks
Ep 34 Cystic Fibrosis: Complete Somatic Rebellion
Ep 33 Chytrid: The Silent Forest
Ep 32 Ask the Erins
Ep 31 Giardia: Gerardia
Ep 30 Encephalitis Lethargica: Sleep Perchance to Dream (& Dream & Dream)
Ep 29 Aspirin the Wonder Drug: Crossover w/ IDOP
Ep 28 H. pylori: Don't try this at home
Ep 27 Vaccines Part 2: Have you thanked your immune system lately?
Ep 26 Vaccines part 1: Let's hear it for Maurice
Ep 25 Put your hands together for: Gonorrhea!
Ep 24 Zika: Rumors and Rumours
Ep 23 Opening a can of Hookworms
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