"
Team:Lyon-INSA-ENS/Project/ToGoFurther
From 2011.igem.org
(Difference between revisions)
| Line 151: | Line 151: | ||
<span style="line-height:1.5em;"> | <span style="line-height:1.5em;"> | ||
| - | Some atomic nucleus of an unstable atom lose energy by emitting ionizing particles (α, β+ or β-). | + | Some atomic <b>nucleus</b> of an <b>unstable</b> atom lose energy by emitting ionizing particles (α, β+ or β-). |
| - | The emission is spontaneous. This is natural radioactivity. | + | The emission is <b>spontaneous</b>. This is <b>natural radioactivity</b>. |
</span> | </span> | ||
| Line 160: | Line 160: | ||
<span style="line-height:1.5em"> | <span style="line-height:1.5em"> | ||
| - | Researchers have used α particle to react with another atom such as Beryllium. The result is a Carbon nucleus | + | Researchers have used α <b>particle to react</b> with another atom such as Beryllium. The result is a Carbon nucleus and <b>a neutron</b>. This is <b>artificial radioactivity</b> or induced radioactivity. |
| - | and a neutron. This is artificial radioactivity or induced radioactivity. | + | |
</span> | </span> | ||
<div style="text-align: center"> | <div style="text-align: center"> | ||
| - | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/3/3b/W_radioactivity_2.JPG" width=" | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/3/3b/W_radioactivity_2.JPG" width="450px"> |
</div> | </div> | ||
<span style="line-height:1.5em"> | <span style="line-height:1.5em"> | ||
| - | Researchers then used neutrons to react with atoms (for example <SUP>235</SUP> Uranium). The result is a bigger nucleus with an exces of neutron leading to an increase of the unstability and the new nucleus can split into 2 smaller nuclei. This phenomenon is the neutronic fission. | + | Researchers then used <b>neutrons to react with atoms </b> (for example <SUP>235</SUP> Uranium). The result is a bigger nucleus with an exces of neutron leading to an increase of the <b>unstability</b> and the new nucleus can <b>split</b> into 2 smaller nuclei. This phenomenon is the <b>neutronic fission</b>. |
</span> | </span> | ||
<div style="text-align: center"> | <div style="text-align: center"> | ||
| - | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/a/a0/W_radioactivity_3.JPG" width=" | + | <img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2011/a/a0/W_radioactivity_3.JPG" width="450px"> |
</div> | </div> | ||
| Line 192: | Line 191: | ||
</p> | </p> | ||
<br><br/> | <br><br/> | ||
| + | |||
| + | <span style="line-height: 1.5em"> | ||
| + | Nuclear Power Plants use neutronic fission to produce energy. In France, reactors are <I> pressurized water reactors (PWR)</I>. 235 U, the most desirable isotope of uranium absorbs neutron and then split into 2 smaller nuclei and release a lot of energy + new neutrons able to react with other 235U (nuclear chain reaction). | ||
| + | </sapn> | ||
<p style = "text-align : center";> | <p style = "text-align : center";> | ||
Revision as of 10:13, 16 September 2011
To Go further
- Story of Radioactivity
- Story of living Sciences
- What about the future ?
- What is Radioactivity ?
- Neutronic nuclear fission for energy production
- Radiocobalt
- To remove cobalt…
- Cobalt Buster
- Why using a biofilm rather than free cells ?
Story of Radioactivity
Many scientific discoveries in physics, biology and computer science happened during the 19th and 20th centuries
The understanding of the structure of matter and in particular atom allowed the discovery and explanation of radioactivity ( observed by H. Becquerel and the Curies ). This natural or artificial property of some elements has been used in several domains like medicine and production of electric energy. The second half of the 20th century will see its industrialization.
Story of living sciences
In living sciences, progress was slower. The first significant discoveries date from the 16th century.
Then, microbiology rose during the second half of the 19th century with L. Pasteur and other scientists' work.
During the 20th century, discoveries about DNA ( structure, regulation of gene expression, sequencing ) allowed the birth of a new domain : molecular biology.
Then, works on restriction enzymes and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) allow the building of new DNA molecules.
Progress in computer science, increased computing power, new modeling and sequence alignment softwares has now paved the way for synthetic biology.
What about the future ?
Any industrialization phase has a generally favorable social and economic impact, but also an environmental impact, unfortunately often negative.
Nuclear technology allowed huge progress but at the cost of several consequences : use as weapon, nuclear accidents (Tchernobyl (1986), Fukushima (2011)…) and nuclear waste, with the associated risks of pollution.
We have to consider those same questions with synthetic biology, but we can also go further : by learning from the past, limit our impact by respecting some "good practice" rules, and propose innovative solutions to the problems aroused during the previous century.
After the great discoveries in nuclear physics ( end of 19th c), after the industrialiation phase (20th c),we hope the 21st century will be a century of solutions thanks to synthetic biology, iGEM and, maybe, our Cobalt Buster project.
What is Radioactivity ?
Some atomic nucleus of an unstable atom lose energy by emitting ionizing particles (α, β+ or β-). The emission is spontaneous. This is natural radioactivity.
Neutronic nuclear fission for energy production
Nuclear Power Plants use neutronic fission to produce energy. In France, reactors are pressurized water reactors (PWR). 235 U, the most desirable isotope of uranium absorbs neutron and then split into 2 smaller nuclei and release a lot of energy + new neutrons able to react with other 235U (nuclear chain reaction).
Radiocobalt
To remove cobalt…
Cobalt Buster
Why using a biofilm rather than free cells ?
