XPost: alt.fan.heinlein   
   From: bliss-sf4ever@dslextreme.com   
      
   On 10/25/25 08:31, Dimensional Traveler wrote:   
   > On 10/25/2025 4:48 AM, Thomas Koenig wrote:   
   >> WolfFan  schrieb:   
   >>> On Oct 25, 2025, Thomas Koenig wrote   
   >>> (in article <10dhvus$35i3g$3@dont-email.me>):   
   >>>   
   >>>> WolfFan  schrieb:   
   >>>>> I wonder what a bloody alpha particle is...   
   >>>>   
   >>>> A nucleus consisting of two protons an two neutrons, passing through   
   >>>> a blood stream at high energy. Generally not considered healthy.   
   >>>   
   >>> Also known as He-4 nucleus. Alphas are the most common form of   
   >>> radioactivity.   
   >>   
   >> Why does it have to be bloody, though?   
   >   
   > Because it makes you bleed internally?   
   >   
      
   	Only if you ingest it. Alpha particles being big and heavy as such things   
   go are stopped by intact skin.  Likely have to ingest it by hypodermic   
   for it   
   to get in the blood stream.   
   	I doubt it is the most common form of radioactivity since the Sun   
   continues to shine. Cosmic and Gamma rays come in from outer space.   
   Beta particles which are electrons are all over the place and neutrons   
   are the particles that initiate nuclear fisssion and are also released   
   in great quanities by fission reactions along with all the other elementary   
   particles. Gamma rays are very high energy photons like X-rays.   
   	All of these can mess up the DNA if they get close to it.   
   	But try to avoid that.   
   	If you want to know what simple fission bombs can do read the   
   graphic novel Barefoot Gen aka Gen of Hiroshima by a survivor or the   
   bombing, who was in grade school when the bomb went off and he   
   was largely sheilded by a stone wall but lost his hair.  A teacher   
   standing at the gate in the wall was apparently vaporized.  This   
   is a hard book to read even in graphic form but it is black and white   
   so no red blood shown.   
   	The bomb at Hiroshima actually did not release the full energy   
   of the fissionable material as it was a primitive design.   
   	If you prefer simple written material a good place to start is   
   "Last Train From Hiroshima"  and that train went to Nagasaki and the   
   traveler arrived a bit after that bomb.  That bomb was not on target   
   and took out more of the residential than the military area.   
   	The fire bombing of major cities took out more people than   
   the bombs I believe but if the Japanese Imperial authorities had   
   been paying attention they would have quit earlier.   
   	   
   	bliss all that stuff happened around my 8th birthday.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)