Readings for homework 1!

The first homework assignment is posted to the Canvas page for our class and involves answering some factual and opinion-based questions on a set of articles.  The articles all deal with radiation around us, and they are typical of how the media discusses radiation - which is to say, it can be hard to understand the science from what is written.  The homework questions are intended to help sort through some of the information as well as highlight a few important issues related to how news articles convince us (or fail to convince us) about risks. 

Articles:

1) New York Times article on granite counter tops

2) Huffington Post article on contaminated fish.

3) Two articles on cell phone radiation:
Chicago Tribune article on recent calls for review of cell phone radiation rules.
PCWorld article on the state of our understanding of cell phone radiation risks.

4) Two articles on airport x-ray body scanners:
Wired article on lingering questions about the safety of the scanners.
Scientific American article on Europe banning x-ray body scanners

5) ABC News article on radioactive polonium in cigarettes.


If you have any trouble accessing these articles, please email me.  Technical difficulties are not an excuse for skipping any of them!