The Mutagenic Effect of 600 MeV Protons in Drosophila Melanogaster

Summary

Comparisons have been made between the mutagenic efficiency in Drosophila of 600 meV protons and 250 kvp x-rays. Second chromosome recessive lethal mutation frequencies were measured in 6 successive 3-day broods of offspring. There was no evidence of any difference between the effectiveness of x-rays and protons from the initial beam or from the Bragg peak region of the beam in inducing mutations in any of the germ cell stages sampled.