EurekAlert June 2, 2020
Because terahertz radiation is stopped by liquids and is non-ionizing it is considered generally safe for use in the airports for scanning passengers. However, researchers in Japan have discovered that the energy from the light could enter into water as a “shockwave.” They investigated (G)-actin and (F)-actin, which have different structures and functions. Looking at the effect of terahertz radiation on the growth of chains in an aqueous solution of actin, they found that it led to a decrease in filaments, preventing the (G)-actin from forming chains and becoming (F)-actin. Ruling out the rise in temperature, they concluded that it was most likely caused by a shockwave. They will be looking for potential applications of terahertz radiation in cancer and other diseases as it can have an effect on proteins inside cells without killing them cells themselves…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Actin polymerization affected by THz irradiation in an aqueous solution. Credit: Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 9008 (2020)Â