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Mythbusters to Test Cockroach Radiation Myth
redwoodtree writes "An article on the site for the Tri-City Herald sums it up perfectly: 'Contrary to popular belief, not a significant amount of research goes into cockroach radiation.' To test the old saw about 'the cockroaches being the only survivors of a nuclear war' Discovery Channel's Mythbusters are going out to Hanford Site, where plutonium was manufactured for the first nuclear bomb. It's the single most polluted nuclear waste site in the U.S. The Mythbusters are going to take cockroaches and other insects and apply successively higher doses of radiation in a controlled setting."
Funny, it seems that a lot of scientists have done just that.
For a pretty decent explanation: the mysterious Dr. Karl!
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We are not amused.
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"So what is your criteria for what you will and won't murder ?"
Objection, your Honor - Loaded Question (Or is it leading the witness?)!
The correct question is "So what is your criteria for what you will and won't kill?"
"Killing" is performing an action that causes something that is living to cease doing so.
"Murder" is a legal definition, along with "manslaughter", "homicide", etc. By it's very definition, it is impossible to "murder" a cockroach.
If you are going to troll, do it correctly.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
But only the EVIL ones
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Seriously though, Mythbusters just plain old has a policy of not testing any religious myths. Saw it mentioned in their forums.
Riverview High School, Sarasota, FL. (1986-1989)
I think it's faster to come up with something funny to say, rather than something profound.
WARNING! This girl exceeds the MAXIMUM SAFE standards established by the FDA for BRATTINESS
DrBuzzo is correct. They are using an irradiation facility at Pacific Northwest National Lab. Basically you've got a shielded room containing a shielded radiation source. Place things in the room, seal it up, and then using remote control the radiation source is exposed for the pre-determined exposure time and then re-shielded. When the room is no longer 'hot' you can go in and get your stuff out. The facility they are using is used to calibrate dosimeters and other equipment.
It's nice to see my home-town being used for such an awesome mythbusters episode. : )
This is osjedi, reporting live from Tri-Cities, WA. Home of the world's best apples, grapes, hopps, cherrys, and weapons grade plutonium.
-=-=-=-=- osjedi uses Debian GNU/Linux. -=-=-=-=-
Actually, it's possible. There were several criticality accidents in oil reservoirs and air filters:
For example, http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/radevents/1961USSR2.html and several other ones (I'm too lazy to search)
http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/nuclear/radcrit.html
They do not limit it to just religious myths, but any "oogie-boogie" myths (in Adam's own words).
They've done a few in the past (such as the "pyramids of power" myth [or something along that name]) and on that show, Adam specifically said that he hoped that they would not have to do any more "oogie-boogie" myths. It was later explained to be anything along the lines of bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster, psychics, astrology, aliens, et cetra.
Really, they limit themselves to things that are truly testable; they avoid just about anything where there is no real ability to lay claims along one line or the other without getting into otherwise supernatural beliefs.
Calling a sword by a pretty name is no more than adding perfume to poison.