Author Richard Muller has some interesting scientific advice for policy on terrorism, nuclear power, energy independence, global warming, and space exploration in the new Obama Administration. On the potential of a nuclear terrorist attack:
In reality, a dirty bomb would leave very few immediate casualties. That’s because radioactivity, once spread after an explosion, drops below the threshold for radiation illness. A dirty bomb might not even cause an observable increase in cancer rates. Perhaps that’s why al Qaeda instructed Chicago gang member José Padilla to abandon his goal of making a dirty bomb and told him instead to blow up apartment buildings using natural gas—which would have a greater chance of killing a large number of people. What is most scary is that al Qaeda seems to understand this fact better than many politicians.(via kottke.org)
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