Radiation design

Recent events make some wonder if there is a need to build radiation resistance in humans. Bad policies and engineering designs have resulted in ticking radiation time bombs across the world. Nuclear fission producing radioactive spent fuel with thousands of years of half life has always been an inelegant way to produce electricity as long as the spent fuel stayed on earth. Humans have shown no ability to protect such materials for that long periods and it is just a matter of time before "accidents" will happen. They have also not invested in removing the spent fuel from earth through a cheap but reliable space program.

Coffee has been shown to increase radiation resistance in humans, albeit in very large quantities. In certain parts of the world, there are natural materials that show radioactivity such as the white sand beaches in the Southwestern coast of India. This may be an opportunity to study if prolonged exposure to low level radiation over many generations can effect beneficial resistance at the molecular and genetic levels in humans.  It may be possible to design drugs that have such effects. More tactically, it is time to think about designs of homes with an explicit consideration of radiation protection. This may have to be incorporated into design codes just as earthquakes and wind effects currently are.

Trusting humans to optimally produce and use energy is foolish. It is necessary to create robust band aids to put on the wounds that are definite to be inflicted in the future.