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For most of us, the term "radiation," especially when used in the context of the dirty-bomb threat, implies something sinister, frightening, and possibly deadly. And with good reason—there are radioactive sources, both here on Earth and raining down from space, both natural (like radon) and human-made (like radiological bombs), that can injure or even kill you.
Yet it may come as a surprise that without radiation you wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be able to see, feel the warmth of the sun, or even have food to eat, for virtually all forms of life depend for their very existence on electromagnetic radiation coming from the sun.
Sources of Radiation lets you explore an environment to learn about various
types of radiation, both beneficial and potentially lethal. It is not meant
to serve as a comprehensive list of radiation sources or as a guide to
assess potential dangers. For information about the hazards of radiation and
more complete lists of radioactive sources, check out the Web sites listed
in Links & Books.
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Flash is a plug-in that allows for increased interactivity. If you can see
the animated boxes at left, the plugin is already installed. If you do not see
the boxes, you can install the Flash plugin or use
this feature's non-Flash version.
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