The Effects of a Sub-Natural Background Radiation Environment 2km Underground on Biological Systems

Life on the planet has evolved in constant presence of radiation, some of which comes from space, and some of which comes from natural sources in the Earth. This natural background radiation (NBR) is a normal component of biological life. One way we can study the role of NBR in life is to see what the effects are when we take it away. This is difficult to do at the surface of the planet and requires that we go deep underground to shield out some of these parts of NBR. In a deep underground biology laboratory environment, this project is exploring what happens to human cells when we take away the NBR we are normally exposed to on a daily basis. These studies are important both to science, as well as industries and people that work around radiation, as they help us better understand the effects of radiation exposure.

Faculty Supervisor:

Christopher Thome

Student:

Jake Pirkkanen

Partner:

Bruce Power

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Program: