1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 The. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:33,000 The. 3 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:38,000 The symbols of atomic energy are becoming increasingly familiar to all of us in this... 4 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Inventions pertaining to atomic radiation like the nuclear reactor these technicians... 5 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:56,000 Particularly promising are the advances being made in the biological sciences through th... 6 00:00:56,000 --> 00:01:03,000 Elements made radioactive artificially in the nuclear reactor are frequently used as... 7 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:13,000 In the metal cylinder coming out of this nuclear reactor is one of these elements... 8 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:20,000 Such radioactive isotopes are among the newest tools to be applied to problems in... 9 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:34,000 Sometimes the scientist wishes to observe the effects of the radiation themselves alpha... 10 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:44,000 Gamma rays are particularly useful in the study of living things gamma rays like oth... 11 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:57,000 If the effect is serious enough the entire organism becomes ill and is stunted or die... 12 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:04,000 Most radiation experiments like the one going on here do not destroy the living thing be... 13 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:14,000 For example geneticists apply gamma rays to living cells to discover the effects of... 14 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:24,000 In one kind of experiment one cell forms of life are used here a one cell form of life... 15 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,000 Some forms multiply by sexual reproduction. 16 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Does radiation affect the rate at which such cells reproduce in a typical experiment th... 17 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:53,000 He transfers a culture solution into a radiation chamber this culture solution... 18 00:02:53,000 --> 00:03:06,000 Next the living paramecia are placed in the culture solution they may be irradiated in... 19 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:15,000 After irradiation the paramecia are carefully observed under the microscope so that the... 20 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:23,000 The geneticist finds that the irradiated cells do reproduce faster than cells that... 21 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:33,000 Future generations of paramecia will also be studied to see if the effects of radiation... 22 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:42,000 Experiments using radioactive elements are being applied to larger forms of life as w... 23 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:46,000 Here corn plants are the subjects of experimental work. 24 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:55,000 Gamma rays released by the radioisotope cobalt located within the hollow pole are... 25 00:03:55,000 --> 00:04:05,000 Experiments are also conducted in special indoor plant growth rooms like this one wh... 26 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:13,000 The plants in this growth chamber are being subjected to gamma rays released from a... 27 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:22,000 The problem is to discover how this atomic radiation may affect the hereditary... 28 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:30,000 That is how do radiations affect the tiny units of cells called genes that transmit... 29 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:37,000 The genes are represented here as bead-like bodies attached together in chains. 30 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Every living thing inherits its characteristics from the genes of the pare... 31 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:56,000 Atomic radiation interferes with the normal process by breaking apart the chromosomes... 32 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,000 In this way radiation affects inheritance. 33 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:06,000 Chromosomes like these from corn are large enough to see under the microscope. 34 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:17,000 Here there are some detached fragments of chromosomes particularly at the upper righ... 35 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:24,000 The exact results of these changes on future generations can be discovered through grow... 36 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,000 The results may be beneficial. 37 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:39,000 Already a strain of corn that is especially resistant to fungus disease has been produ... 38 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:47,000 Scientists use radioisotopes in another entirely different kind of experiment, the... 39 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:52,000 In this kind they try to avoid any effects of the radiations themselves. 40 00:05:52,000 --> 00:06:04,000 For example, in this experiment plants called algae are being given radioactive carbon... 41 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:10,000 Here is another research project in which radioactive carbon dioxide is used. 42 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:17,000 The plants in this special greenhouse live in an atmosphere rich in radioactive carbon... 43 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,000 Radioactive carbon dioxide is piped into the greenhouse. 44 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:35,000 One objective is to produce quantities of radioactive plant products such as drugs,... 45 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:40,000 Animals as well as plants may be the subjects of research using atomic radiation. 46 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 That is in nutrition often depend on the use of rats. 47 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:50,000 Here the experimenter uses a rat that has been fed radioactive table sugar. 48 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:58,000 The experimenter places the rat in a special container where all of its waste products ... 49 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:13,000 By knowing how much radioactive sugar was fed and how much radioactive waste is given of... 50 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:20,000 Similar experiments may be performed to study the use of proteans, fats or other types o... 51 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:26,000 The distribution of an element in an animal's body can also be tested using rats. 52 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:32,000 In a typical experiment, blood is taken from a rat previously injected with radioactive... 53 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:39,000 The blood will be tested for radioactivity to find how much of the radio iron is still... 54 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:47,000 To do this, the iron is removed from the blood sample and electroplated onto a smal... 55 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:56,000 The amount of radio iron that electroplates out on the planchette can be exactly... 56 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:04,000 Based on such experiments, the dosages and techniques of using radio iron for treatin... 57 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Much of the research in biology is done in the hope of contributing to the welfare of... 58 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,000 This is particularly true in the study of diseases like cancer. 59 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Learning to control a disease depends in part upon understanding the processes by which ... 60 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:25,000 In cancer, animal experimentation is especially helpful. 61 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Experiments are planned to study how cancer develops. 62 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:35,000 To do this, cancer may artificially be induced in animals through excessive expos... 63 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:41,000 Here, beads containing a radioactive isotope are strapped to the rat's body. 64 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,000 The radiations released cause the rat to develop cancer. 65 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:52,000 Other experiments are devised to study techniques of treating cancer. 66 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:58,000 One technique employs the cyclotron, a machine that can detect and detect cancer. 67 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:03,000 It can produce a stream of extremely fast-moving atomic particles. 68 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:08,000 In this case, a beam of radiation called deuterons is used. 69 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:13,000 The treatment is given in a specially shielded room called a deuteron cave. 70 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:20,000 The treatment depends upon focusing a narrow pencil-like stream of deuteron particles o... 71 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:25,000 From time to time, the rat is turned so that the tumor is affected from different... 72 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,000 The tumor receives a much larger amount of radiation than any of the surrounding tissue. 73 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:35,000 In this way, the effects of radiation can be beneficial to the organism as a whole. 74 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:44,000 Experiments of this type seem promising, but such treatments are not applied to humans... 75 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:52,000 Radio biologists use sources of radioactivity for internal human use as well as external... 76 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:57,000 Here, a liquid containing a radioactive isotope is being prepared for human use. 77 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:02,000 Radioactive atoms in the solution will attack the cancer from within the body. 78 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Safeguards are continually being perfected to avoid damaging the healthy tissues of... 79 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:16,000 Since atomic radiation improperly used may be extremely dangerous, 80 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,000 much research has been done to discover the most effective protective measures. 81 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:29,000 In league with physical scientists, biologists are learning how best to protec... 82 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:37,000 Protective clothing, barriers made of radiation-resistant materials, remote cont... 83 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 are some of the measures developed through experimentation to guard against harmful... 84 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:49,000 From their raw material stage, through their use, to the ultimate disposal of any waste... 85 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:57,000 radioactive materials are handled according to techniques prescribed as a result of... 86 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,000 The future applications of atomic radiation can scarcely be imagined, 87 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:08,000 but progress is being made and research is leading the way. 88 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:15,000 And in this research, the biological sciences continue to take their place in the ongoin... 89 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000 by advancing man's understanding of life itself.