Post by The Night Phantom on May 10, 2006 21:17:54 GMT -5
From ABC News:(Boldface mine.)
Of course, the article is about naturally occurring gamma-ray bursts. Building gamma bombs increases the risk dramatically.
Still, the news that gamma-ray bursts are much more unlikely on Earth than previously believed helps keep me calm. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry...
Scientists say that Earth is at far lower risk from potentially devastating gamma ray bursts than was previously thought.
What's a gamma ray burst? A GRB, as they are called in the astronomy community, is a flash of extremely high-energy radiation that occurs as a massive star collapses and explodes.
If a gamma ray burst occurred in our own Milky Way galaxy, scientists said it could do terrible things to Earth, even cause mass extinction.
"It destroys the ozone and might cause acid rain. It could cause mutations," said Andrew Fruchter, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute.
What's a gamma ray burst? A GRB, as they are called in the astronomy community, is a flash of extremely high-energy radiation that occurs as a massive star collapses and explodes.
If a gamma ray burst occurred in our own Milky Way galaxy, scientists said it could do terrible things to Earth, even cause mass extinction.
"It destroys the ozone and might cause acid rain. It could cause mutations," said Andrew Fruchter, an astronomer with the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Of course, the article is about naturally occurring gamma-ray bursts. Building gamma bombs increases the risk dramatically.
Still, the news that gamma-ray bursts are much more unlikely on Earth than previously believed helps keep me calm. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry...
