Related papers: Radiation as a Constraint for Life in the Universe
Cosmic radiation backgrounds are a constraint on life, and their distribution will affect the Galactic Habitable Zone. Life on Earth has developed in the context of these backgrounds, and characterizing event rates will elaborate the…
Ultraviolet radiation is known to inhibit photosynthesis, induce DNA destruction and cause damage to a wide variety of proteins and lipids. In particular, UV radiation between 200-300 nm becomes energetically very damaging to most of the…
"The investigation into the possible effects of cosmic rays on living organisms will also offer great interest." - Victor F. Hess, Nobel Lecture, December 12, 1936 High-energy radiation bursts are commonplace in our Universe. From nearby…
High-energy astrophysical events, particularly Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), have been proposed as significant contributors to mass extinction events on Earth-like planets in most of the galaxy, internal to our radius in it. This paper examines…
Astrophysical ionizing radiation events such as supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and solar proton events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth, primarily through depletion of stratospheric ozone and subsequent increase in…
We explore if carbon-based macromolecules (such as DNA) in the environments of stars other than the Sun are able to survive the effects of photospheric stellar radiation, such as UV-C. Therefore, we focus on main-sequence stars of spectral…
Astrophysical ionizing radiation events have been recognized as a potential threat to life on Earth, primarily through depletion of stratospheric ozone and subsequent increase in surface-level solar ultraviolet radiation. Simulations of the…
Recently, many Earth-sized planets have been discovered around stars other than the Sun that might possess appropriate conditions for life. The development of theoretical methods for assessing the putative habitability of these worlds is of…
Electromagnetic radiation (photons) or particle beam (protons or heavy ions) have similar biological effects, i.e. damage to human cell DNA that eventually leads to cell death if not correctly repaired. The biological effects at the level…
Monte Carlo simulations of Galactic Supernovae are carried out to study the rate of nearby events, which may have a direct effect on Earth's ecology though ionizing radiation and cosmic ray bombardment. A nearby supernova may have left a…
Cosmic rays are known to cause biological effects directly and through ionizing radiation produced by their secondaries. These effects have been detected in airline crews and other specific cases where members of the population are exposed…
Stellar elemental abundances direct impact planetary interior structure and mineralogy, surface composition, and life. However, the different communities that are necessary for planetary habitability exploration (astrophysics, planetary…
Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are likely to have made a number of significant impacts on the Earth during the last billion years. The gamma radiation from a burst within a few kiloparsecs would quickly deplete much of the Earth's protective ozone…
We present a brief overview of the main effects by which a star will have an impact (positive or negative) on the surface habitability of planets in orbit around it. Specifically, we review how spectral, spatial and temporal variations in…
(Abridged) We show that sizeable fractions of incident ionizing radiation from stochastic astrophysical sources can be redistributed to biologically and chemically important UV wavelengths, a significant fraction of which can reach the…
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) emit substantial fluxes of high-energy electromagnetic radiation, and have therefore attracted some recent attention for their negative impact on galactic habitability. In this paper, we propose that AGNs may…
An ionization plays a key role in formation of stars, planets and their atmospheres. Cosmic rays (CR) are the main source of the ionization, therefore it is important to know and be able to estimate fluxes of galactic and stellar cosmic…
I present both a history of radioactivity in astrophysics and an introduction to the major applications of radioactive abundances to astronomy.
It is shown, that spontaneous ultraviolet radiation of cells (infusoria) plays the role of agent, restricting the upper limit of the quantity of cells in quasi-stationary phase of cultire's development. The spectral region of this radiation…
Solar X-ray and UV radiation (0.1-320 nm) received at Earth's surface is an important aspect of the circumstances under which life formed on Earth. The quantity that is received depends on two main variables: the emission of radiation by…