Comments on: Study: Nuclear Fission Reactions May Have Continued After Fukushima’s Alleged Shutdown

By: dave chamberlin

dave chamberlin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 01:07:31 +0000

I appreciate the scientific updates on the Fukushima reactors, the mainstream press has not been reliable. They report on the situation with their their idiotic one sentence scare pronouncements that are not at all informative, just ratings boosters. Thank you and keep us informed of real news.

By: Slightly Concerned

Slightly Concerned — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:52:00 +0000

A media bias obfuscates the seriousness of the incident. When it was the old communist Soviet Union, Chernobyl became an unprecedented catastrophe to mankind. But since it is a US ally and involves a GE designed reactor, it’s not that bad.

By: Slightly Concerned

Slightly Concerned — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:42:22 +0000

When we are talking about the entire Pacific ocean, the radioactive pollution is so diluted by the time it gets here at the US shore that it would be extremely challenging to detect. Understandably, the seafood close to the Fukushima shore is not very appetizing in light of what happened.

By: Rachael Romito

Rachael Romito — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:44:27 +0000

Hope things are well back in Japan

By: Clueless

Clueless — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:41:22 +0000

Ok, Templar and Cody,
Please explain to me what all this means? Are we all going to die or what? According to a report that I saw on the news yesturday, Japan is dumping billions of gallsons of radio active water back into the ocean. Fish are coming up very radio active and now it is also getting over here to the US in the milk and drinking water. If it is in the water, then it will be in our food and if it is in our food then we eat it and then what? Cancer? Slow and agonizing death? Deformations and the end of life as we know it. Am I making too much out of this or what? Any imput is appreciated.
Thanks.

By: Cody

Cody — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:43:59 +0000

Templar, it's called Cherenkov radiation, and I suspect that there are better methods of determining the composition, as well as the internal state of the reactor, however getting near enough may pose such significant health risks as to make it unfeasible. Also, Cherenkov radiation is created by charged particles, not neutrinos. (I believe there are some other flaws in your suggestion too but I have too little confidence in my nuclear physics to discuss any more.) Also, to Valerie, a minor detail concerning banana's and radiation. According to the wikipedia article "banana equivalent dose," eating a banana doesn't actually change the amount of radiation your body is receiving, apparently our bodies regulate potassium very well, and eating a banana just means maybe swapping out some of the potassium currently in your body for the potassium in the banana, both of which have the same ratio of radioactive isotopes, so the net effect is zero. I know it's being picky, I mostly just thought it was an interesting fact to share. (It still makes for a good explanation of just how little radiation we're talking about though.) The detection of a neutron beam a mile away, that's very interesting.

By: Templar 7

Templar 7 — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:19:18 +0000

Well well well…It seems that we have a chance to figure out something previously unobserved on this scale before. Einstien found motivation in trying to find a unifying theory of science to explain phenomenon like this, is there too much quantum mechanic application going on here??

Also, what is the name of that light that is given off when neutrinos hit H2O in darkness?? Kreznovs? Anyways, I would suggest that someone observe the light under a spectrometer and determine it’s true composition.

-The Templar Knight