Life Sciences and Radiation

The book contains the proceedings of an international workshop held in Giessen in October 2002 that explored the potential of radiation research in the life sciences. The contributions demonstrate that the development of molecular biology and cell biology is intimately linked with the application of radiation methods. It is shown that the study of the cell cycle and of intercellular communication, as well as recent achievements in radiation therapy and the understanding of carcinogenic processes are not possible without radiation research. Repair of genetic damage cannot be studied without the analysis of radiation induced damage and its modification. The book thus details the great importance of radiation research in the whole field of life sciences and constitutes not only an important source book for radiation scientists but also an introduction in the field for the nonspecialist interested in the state of the art in radiation research.