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Under optimal viewing conditions, the stargazing website Earth Sky notes, about a quarter of Lyrids shooting stars produce persistent trains—lingering streaks of light that are the result of gases being ionized as the meteors enter Earth’s atmosphere.—Gretchen Rundorff, Wired News, 17 Dec. 2025 Too much ionizing radiation exposure can cause long-term health problems, including cancer and reproductive issues.—Jessica Rendall, Space.com, 12 Dec. 2025 The role of melanin The ionizing radiation, typically a destroyer of DNA and cells, appeared to be a nutrient for these resilient fungi.—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025 This study presents the first characterization of a domestic species in Chernobyl, establishing their importance for genetic studies into the effects of exposure to long-term, low-dose ionizing radiation.—New Atlas, 27 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ionize
Word History
Etymology
ion + -ize, after German ionisiren (now ionisieren) or French ioniser
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