A Sting in the Tail of Electron Tracks

It has always been thought that the type of DNA damage that cells find hard to repair is caused by high-energy electrons with the ability to ionize the components of DNA. In a Perspective, [Michael and O'Neill][1] discuss new findings ([ BoudaA¯ffa et al. ][2]) showing that one low-energy electron can cause long-lasting damage to DNA by inducing a multiple lesion that may be very difficult for the cell to repair. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/287/5458/1603 [2]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/287/5458/1658