I’ve tried to research this before, but I’m not all that knowledgeable of biology. It took me forever to realize that cancer is just basically erratic cells that deprive the rest of the body resources while also putting strain on organs, etc. I understand the concept of HOW radiation comes into being (sort’ve) but I guess I’m just really confused on what about radiation is so deadly/dangerous. What does it to do the body to give such a horrific response? (Please feel free to dumb it down as much as possible. Biology and chemistry are not my strong suit lol)
Edit: I also just saw a post from 7 years ago that kinda addressed it but all those fancy terms just flew over my head. So uh, how about literally explain this concept to me like I’m 5.
In: Biology
It’s pretty complicated but I’ll try to do a true ELI5 for how it causes cancer. Your body has a bunch of instructions for how to make and do everything it needs saved within your cells along a string, just like a tape on a VHS tape. (The imaginary five year old was born in 1995 trust me).
The radiation is actually really tiny particles that fly through the air and can pass through your body. When they interact with the tape, they mess up the order of the instructions, just like if you brought a magnet near a real VHS tape. These mess ups are sometimes harmless, but sometimes cause a cell to keep growing uncontrollably, aka cancer. With enough radiation, and enough mess ups, cancer is all but guaranteed.
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