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Scope and ideas of the workshop The workshop which took place at
the University of Giessen from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, 2002 and whose
proceedings are collected in this volume started from the idea to
convene a number of scientists with the aim to outline their
"visions" for the future of radiation research on the basis of
their expertise. As radiation research is a very wide field
restrictions were unavoidable. It was decided to concentrate this
time mainly on molecular and cellular biology because it was felt
that here action is par-ticularly needed. This did not exclude
contributions from neighbouring fields as may be seen from the
table of contents. It was clearly not planned to have a c-
prehensive account of the present scientif fic achievements but the
results presented should only serve as a starting point for the
discussion of future lines of research, with the emphasis on the
"outreach" to other parts of life sciences. If you are interested
in the future ask the young - we attempted, therefore, to invite
mainly younger colleagues (with a few exceptions) who had, however,
already left their marks in the field. They were asked to describe
what they felt is important in radiation research and may have
significant influences on other branches of life sciences. They
were given the task to demonstrate what is lost for science "if we
do no longer exist."
Scope and ideas of the workshop The workshop which took place at
the University of Giessen from Oct. 3 to Oct. 7, 2002 and whose
proceedings are collected in this volume started from the idea to
convene a number of scientists with the aim to outline their
"visions" for the future of radiation research on the basis of
their expertise. As radiation research is a very wide field
restrictions were unavoidable. It was decided to concentrate this
time mainly on molecular and cellular biology because it was felt
that here action is par-ticularly needed. This did not exclude
contributions from neighbouring fields as may be seen from the
table of contents. It was clearly not planned to have a c-
prehensive account of the present scientif fic achievements but the
results presented should only serve as a starting point for the
discussion of future lines of research, with the emphasis on the
"outreach" to other parts of life sciences. If you are interested
in the future ask the young - we attempted, therefore, to invite
mainly younger colleagues (with a few exceptions) who had, however,
already left their marks in the field. They were asked to describe
what they felt is important in radiation research and may have
significant influences on other branches of life sciences. They
were given the task to demonstrate what is lost for science "if we
do no longer exist".
The biological action of radiation undoubtedly constitutes an issue
of actual con cern, particularly after incidences like those in
Harrisburg or Chernobyl. These considerations, however, were not
the reason for writing this book although it is hoped that it will
also be helpful in this respect. The interaction of radiation with
biological systems is such an interesting research objective that
to my mind no special justification is needed to pursue these
problems. The combination of physics, chemistry and biology
presents on one hand a fascinating challenge to the student, on the
other, it may lead to insights which are not possible if the dif
ferent subjects remain clearly separated. Special problems of
radiation biology have quite often led to new approaches in physics
(or vice versa), a recent example is "microdosimetry" (chapter 4).
Biological radiation a9tion comprises all levels of biological
organization. It starts with the absorption in essential atoms and
molecules and ends with the development of cancer and genetic
hazards to future generations. The structure of the book reflects
this. Beginning with physical and chemical fundamentals, it then
turns to a description of chemical and subcellular systems.
Cellular effects form a large part since they are the basis for
understanding all further responses. Reactions of the whole
organism, concentrating on mammals and especially humans, are
subsequently treated. The book concludes with a short discussion of
problems in radiation protection and the application of radiation
in medical therapy. These last points are necessarily short and
somewhat superficial."
Radiation is the one agent among all environmental factors which
may damage biological systems that is not only easily quantifiable
but can also be measured with unsurpassed resolution. Its primary
effects on atoms and molecules are well understood, and the
secondary processes can be followed by sophisticated experimental
techniques. The quantum nature of interactions and the importance
of stochastic variations call for an exact mathematical
description. This task is by no means simple, and presents a
challenge both to the experimentalist and to the theoretician. It
is hoped that a generally acceptable formalism will help to
quantify radiation responses, both in radiation protection and
radiation therapy, and make it possible to move from a purely
empirical approach with all its fallacies to real understanding.
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