Radioactive Wasps

[TimT]

We've done it now...

Radioactive wasp nest found at old US nuclear weapons site

Why am I suspect that the reporting minimizes Nuclear Wasps ?

[A930Rocket]

Coming soon! ATTACK OF THE GIANT MAN EATING WASPS!

[Seahawk]

My Dad managed the Savannah River Plant, the place referenced in the article, for over twenty years. He retired in the early 1990’s.

It is a huge facility.

I’d like to think this was his idea

[mjohnson]

I went to a conference there in '01 - they claimed that some of the on-site alligators were a little extra spicy. I'd believe it given the scope of the work done there over the last 5 or so decades. That's a huge place!

Our neighbor across the street in one of our lab botanists. She mostly promises that there aren't any radioactive insects here in LA. Of course, they do keep looking just in case.

Rocky Flats, the cold war plutonium factory between Golden and Boulder CO had a case of plutonium-tainted ants if I recall. It's a nature preserve and housing developments now, so I'm sure it's NBD...

[mjohnson]

Then again, the early workers at Los Alamos that got dosed with Pu actually lived _longer and healthier_ lives than average. They called themselves the "IPPu Club"

Perhaps we are mutating a strain of immortal wasps?

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Then again, the early workers at Los Alamos that got dosed with Pu actually lived _longer and healthier_ lives than average. They called themselves the "IPPu Club"

Funny you mention that.

My Dad was on duty when SL-1 had the core meltdown:

The SL-1 Nuclear Incident

He was one of the rescuers that was exposed to a lot of radiation...I don't which kind!

[oldE]

Does anyone else recall an article from either Popular Mechanics or Mechanics Illustrated from the late '50s or early '60s which touted research into irradiated crops and livestock? Supposedly they were looking for genetic modifications which might lead to better yields. ( Probably not looking to pre cook a cow.)

[onewhippedpuppy]

Radioactive wasps vs murder hornets!

[mjohnson]

Originally Posted by oldE

Does anyone else recall an article from either Popular Mechanics or Mechanics Illustrated from the late '50s or early '60s which touted research into irradiated crops and livestock? Supposedly they were looking for genetic modifications which might lead to better yields. ( Probably not looking to pre cook a cow.)

Dunno on how they might have used radiation to modify yield - but the Soviets' pursuit of irradiating produce (particularly grain) led to countless poorly documented and traced very scary gamma sources spread across their lands.

The fall of the USSR left hanging many problems. One lesser known one was what to do with those sources. In response, a pretty huge program in the DOE was the Source Recovery Program, I think in coordination with the IAEA. It was never in an area where I could contribute but numerous colleagues that specialized in remote sensing of things nuclear and the stabilization/packing/transport of such things got to go on what sounded like really cool trips to exotic places. Austere, fascinating and grueling were descriptions that they brought back. I don't know if they're done yet, and if not I fear that the current political environment might derail what has been a huge and successful international collaboration.

That said - I understand radiological risks. Since I accept air transport, medical imaging and eating bananas in my life I think a few radioactive wasps aren't any more scary than average wasps.

[masraum]

[Arizona_928]

Originally Posted by mjohnson

Then again, the early workers at Los Alamos that got dosed with Pu actually lived _longer and healthier_ lives than average. They called themselves the "IPPu Club"

Perhaps we are mutating a strain of immortal wasps?

Don’t tell that to Karen Silkwood. Throw that in with the radium girls and others.