Guest
Before I explain how radiation can affect plant-life, I must first explain what exactly radiation is, and how it is able to affect matter. Radiation comes from many places, from the Sun, to things man makes like cell phones and TV's. Radiation is not always dangerous. Radiation can become very dangerous depending on what kind of radiation it is, and how long something is exposed to it. Radiation has two types, non-ionizing, which is mostly harmless, and ionizing. This high-energy, ionizing radiation can lead to serious problems within an organism. Radiation energy is transferred by particles or waves . While non-ionizing radiation is relatively low-energy, ionizing radiation is so high in energy it can break chemical bonds. This means it can change the charge of an atom that interacts with it. At high levels, this can even damage and destroy the nucleus of an atom, directly affecting an organism's DNA. Once DNA is tampered with, an organism can develop dangerous mutations.
