New Method Offers Insight into Radiation Damage to DNA

UPTON, NY - A new technique for assessing the damage radiation causes to DNA indicates that the spatial arrangement of damaged sites, or lesions, is more important than the number of lesions in determining the severity of the damage. The technique, developed by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Brookhaven National Laboratory, helps reveal why high-energy charged particles such as the heavy ions in outer space are more potentially harmful than lower-energy forms of radiation such as x-rays and gamma rays. The research could help clarify the risks faced by future astronauts flying long-term missions to the moon or Mars. It will be published in the March 19, 2008 issue of the journal Nucleic Acids Research.

source: Brookhaven National Laboratory