Jars of Irradiated Russian Animals Find a New Purpose

scibri writes with bits and pieces from the article: "From the early 1950s to the end of the cold war, nearly 250,000 animals were systematically irradiated in the Russian town of Ozersk. Fearful of a nuclear attack by the United States, the Soviet Union wanted to understand how radiation damages tissues and causes diseases such as cancer. Now, these archives have become important to a new generation of radiobiologists, who want to explore the effects of the extremely low doses of radiation — below 100 millisieverts — that people receive during medical procedures such as computed-tomography diagnostic scans, and by living close to the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan."

Um

[jimmerz28]

Can't they just use frequent flyers?

Fun!

[serviscope_minor]

Sounds even more fun than a barrel of radioactive monkey parts!

meow

[Anonymous Coward]

So THIS is what happened to all the bonsai kittens.

Of course...

[Anonymous Coward]

the fine members of Soviet Russia would do something like this. I can easily see a few portly Soviet generals overseeing labs of svelte Soviet women systematically irradiating squirrels for the Motherland.

Re:Daamn

[Anonymous Coward]

In Soviet Russia, animals treat people ethically.

do *not* open mystery JAR files from Russia

[Anonymous Coward]

What's the news?

Re:Daamn

[Samantha Wright]

They don't. They prefer white mushrooms to morels.

Re:Radiation Hormesis

[ColdWetDog]

I'm not sure that you're winning your argument here. For most people, random insertions and deletions would likely improve their grammar.

Re:Of course...

[ColdWetDog]

I can easily see a few portly Soviet generals overseeing labs of svelte Soviet women systematically irradiating squirrels for the Motherland.

That has got to be the most perverted sentence I've seen on Slashdot all month. Back to 4Chan with you!

Minions

[Quiet_Desperation]

There is only one sane, rational thing to do with these things.

BUILD AN ARMY OF GLOWING SUPERMUTANT BEASTS!

Seriously, research into (pffft!) cancer? Fuck that pansy noise.

Re:Radiation Hormesis

[nedlohs]

And, just for the record, UNSCEAR couldn't find a black cat on a white field at high noon with a microscope.

If you were restricted to only viewing through the microscope I can see that being difficult.