The Effects of Terahertz Radiaton on DNA

Terahertz radiation is a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation between the infrared spectrum and the microwave spectrum. A great deal of research has been done on terahertz waves in the last 10 years because they appear to be safer than ultraviolet or x-ray radiation. Because terahertz waves are so similar to infrared radiation (which is all around us), they have relatively low energy photons compared to x-ray or ultraviolet photons. On the other hand, because they are so close to visible light, they can be used to create high resolution images. They also have the ability to travel through non-conducting materials including paper and brick. The applications of terahertz waves on security are obvious. They go through non-conductive material, don’t harm the person being scanned, and produce high resolution images.

There is a problem, though. Laboratory tests on the effects of terahertz waves seem to provide contradictory results. While some labs find that terahertz waves are harmless, others found that they could damage cells. Recently a team at the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico found what they think is the cause of the confusion. According to their research, terahertz waves do not usually damage DNA, but occasionally the waves can cause nonlinear resonance that can cause sections of DNA to unravel. The fact that the resonance must be nonlinear to cause this unraveling explains why different laboratories found different results; the terahertz wave damage is probabilistic not deterministic.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24331/