Word: ultraviolet
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...much is known about its complex chemistry but Dr. Strehler points out an extraordinary fact. The light that comes from luciferin has been analyzed spectroscopically and turns out to be very similar to the fluorescent glow given off by riboflavin (vitamin B2) when it is irradiated with invisible ultraviolet...
...most laymen, the atmosphere on a clear day or night looks beautifully transparent. The astronomers, aware of this illusion, know that even the clearest atmosphere is opaque to many kinds of radiation. Visible light pushes through it without much loss. So do ultraviolet and infrared if their wave lengths are not very different from ordinary visible light. Most other radiation coming from outside the atmosphere is absorbed before it reaches the ground. The chief exception is radio waves, which penetrate not only the atmosphere but also thick clouds...