io9
Radiation exposure is going to be a serious problem after the nuclear apocalypse, or when your orbital home is going to be bombarded with plenty of dangerous cosmic radiation from solar flares. And in fact, it's already a problem now in many workplaces where people work with radioactive materials. But a solution may be in sight with a new pill, Protectan, that developer Cleveland BioLabs promises can prevent radiation sickness.
Protectan is being developed with Department of Defense funding as part of their efforts to protect soldiers from weapons like dirty bombs. It could also be used by astronauts and future space travelers, and will surely be a hot commodity after the apocalypse. It can be taken before or after radiation exposure - helpful, since radioactive zombies don't usually call ahead. Unlike some similar drugs being developed, Protectan only costs $200 per dose and doesn't require the assistance of a doctor to take it. Just pop one whenever your rad meter trips and you're good to go! Photo by Getty Images.
Cleveland BioLabs lands defense contract. [Buffalo News]
Comments
So it prevents the sickness part? but what about the tissue damage associated with being hit by high energy particles? I think you'll need more than a pill for that.
I don't trust any anti-radiation stuff that has any name aside from Rad Away or Rad-X
In the event of radioactive zombie attack, I recommend whole milk.
Clever name...
Huh I always thought the radiation meds in Battlestar stretched my disbelief threshhold; then I find they might already exist? Fascinating.
Not sure it's a similar approach to Cleveland BioLabs', but researchers at Rice University found that delivering antioxidants in carbon nanotubes increased their efficacy at reducing the effects f radiation by a factor of 5,000.
No need to pay $200, just loot em off the bodies of dead Stalkers you may come across. Be sure to scan the horizon for mutant wild dogs before you put down your Kalashnikov though.
@Huxleyhobbes:
Heh. Fallout fuck yeah!
Protectan (tm) - Apply directly to the forehead.
Protectan (tm) - Apply directly to the forehead.
There go all the lessons I learned in Middle School about surviving a Nuclear Attack. (The Top Tank of your toilet is a very good source of fresh water. Get the Bodies out of the shelter. Decaying Corpes are not your friend. All safe after two weeks.)
Cool, so your death by radiation wont make you throw up. When your skin is falling off in big sheets, at least you will not be nauseated!
@gods-n-clods:
Protectan (tm) - I hate your commercials, but love your product!
Protectan (tm) - Apply directly to the forehead.
Oy, it hurt just to type that.
Wanna know what else helps with nausea? Pot.
Just throwing that out there.
Sorry...but a pill isn't going to protect you against a gamma-ray burst. No matter how expensive it is LOL!
@ratlas: I remember reading about that! (In fact, for anybody else who wants to know more: [www.scienceblog.com])
Gene therapy is another possibility: [www.scienceblog.com]
Or maybe radiation isn't really so catastrophic? [www.spiegel.de]
Pretty pictures of our eventual apocalpyse from a French nuclear test in 1968: [flickr.com]
One of the Great Films ever made on this subject.
[video.google.com]
@Twilightred: But in a pinch, a belt of cheap vodka will get the job done. ^_^ (Counting the days 'til Clear Sky comes out.)
@AlfaCharger:
Don't forget about duck-and-cover...under your desk, a nearby car, a picnic blanket...
Obey your civil-defense worker!
[www.archive.org]
So does that mean we will finally be able to go to the moon, for reals this time?
Maybe Russia will atleast, nolonger having to deal with cosmic radiation.
@Pouncer: Another possibility is somehow utilizing the hyperactive DNA repair mechanisms that allow some bacteria to survive extreme doses of radiation.
But who's going to go in and do the clean up when the 25% of those primate suvivors decide that we have to be destroyed for what we did to them?
After some of the films I've seen about Acute Radiation Sickness I'd rather just go then be stuck with half the problems that will happen in the long run.
There are seven types of cellular damage that can happen because of ionizing radiation - Apoptosis being my favorite.
@BlindKarma:
Agreed. Apoptosis will be the best option after any exposure to ionizing radiation. You don't want any of those molecularly masticated cells surviving and going all cancery on you. Bleh. Cure for radiation poisoning, my foot.
I just came in here to mutter about how this isn't the Japanese Miracle we're all waiting for to make Nuclear Exchange a half-assed threat [See, Ghost in the Shell, Japanese Miracle]
How will this stuff prevent gross physical damage from large particles that are traveling at close to c? How about gamma rays? I don't anything short of a "shield" will protect astronauts.
@Crimson (PS3 ID Black--Tiger): Ummm, no duh? The Japanese Miracle from GitS cleaned up fallout, thus making the area habitable and safe. This just mitigates the effects of exposure to lethal amounts of radiation. They're no even close to the same thing. Did you even bother to read the article before making assumptions about what they're talking about and making an unnecessary clarification?
The new issue of Science magazine (April 11, 2008) has a peer-reviewed study examining radiation resistance in monkeys and mice after taking Protectan. [www.sciencemag.org]
After learning about this class of drugs, my first thought was whether it could be applied to human spaceflight. For example, astronauts on the ISS receive 40-80 times as much radiation exposure as someone on Earth. I've posted some possibilities and questions here: [www.kevinabarnes.com]
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