• Question: Can mutation occur is a living substance is hit by radiation like in video games? Spaghet

    Asked by anon-200960 to Leigh on 4 Mar 2019. This question was also asked by anon-200962.
    • Photo: Leigh Kesler

      Leigh Kesler answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      I took a class on how radiation affects people and animals in undergrad, and the first day they told us, “There is no way for radiation to turn you into the Hulk or Spiderman.” I was very disappointed.

      Radiation can indeed mutate DNA in cells. However, as children and adults, our cells have very specific jobs, so having one or two cells mutate doesn’t affect the way your body is shaped. What can happen is that DNA can be damaged so that the cells replicate too much – this is how radiation can cause cancer, but it doesn’t cause other mutations like growing an extra arm.

      The exception to this is certain cells involved in reproduction, or unborn babies. These cells haven’t yet been given specific jobs, so damage to the DNA of those cells can cause people (or animals) to have issues when they grow up.

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