Some Aspects of Nuclear Physics of Possible Interest in Biological Work

Abstract

In selecting a title for this paper I have endeavored to choose one which would create no illusions as to its purpose or content. It is my purpose only to review (in a very elementary way) some of the aspects of nuclear physics which give promise of providing useful tools in biological research. I shall attempt to indicate a few of the types of problems to which these tools may be applied. I am not reporting any research which has been carried on in this field. I cannot claim originality for any of the suggestions I am going to make concerning biological problems, since they are all either more or less obvious or else have been proposed by various workers in this field (1). Note that these are only suggestions as to possible problems to which these new tools may be applied; not predictions of any definite results which may be obtained. It is as difficult to make predictions in this field now as it would have been thirty-five years ago to predict the biological applications of x-rays and radioactivity.