Better understanding of biological radiation effects

Energetic ionizing radiation can act on biological tissue in more ways than previously assumed. In addition to the direct ionization of biomolecules excess energy stored therein can be transferred to neighboring molecules. This produces several charged molecular fragments and free electrons, which give rise to further reactions in the immediate vicinity. Therefore, the biological impact of this so called intermolecular Coulombic decay is high and it can give rise to irreparable damage for instance in the genetic material (DNA). Such reactions can play an important role in radiation biology.