Open AccessThe Effects of Cosmic and Ultraviolet Rays on Yeast and Seeds
Author(s) -
Samara Steinfeld,
Caroline Brustoloni,
Dat Bui,
Emma Chothani,
Caitlin Harhai,
Joseph Harrington,
Amrit Kaluri,
Anna Klein,
Duncan LaDuke,
Sein Lee,
Adam Miller,
Tyler Rose,
W. A. Pacheco Serrano,
Jason Stentz,
Michael Gullo,
Vince Scalzo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of student research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2167-1907
DOI - 10.47611/jsrhs.v10i2.1507
Subject(s) - cosmic ray , yeast , ozone layer , ultraviolet , radiation , stratosphere , environmental science , cosmic cancer database , ultraviolet radiation , payload (computing) , astrobiology , atmospheric sciences , physics , biology , astronomy , chemistry , optics , radiochemistry , genetics , computer network , network packet , computer science
Cosmic and ultraviolet rays are pervasive and often difficult to avoid, for atmospheric pollution has caused an increase in harmful radiation reaching the Earth's surface due to the rapid depletion of the ozone layer. Because the deterioration of the ozone layer is a recent phenomenon, it is important to understand the rays’ effects on the DNA of organisms. It is also an area of interest in the field of astrobiology as humans begin to consider the possibility of long-term exposure of crops to these types of radiation in prolonged space travel. The Bioballoon project, described in this paper, was a payload for a weather balloon built to expose samples of yeast and seeds to cosmic and ultraviolet rays in the middle to upper stratosphere. After plating the yeast and planting the seeds, it was found that although cosmic and UV radiation appeared to induce mutations in yeast genes, they do not produce significant phenotypic differences in plants.