SCIENCE NEWS IS REPORTING THAT the humble adhesive-tape dispenser packs more X-ray wallop than the most sophisticated electrical machines:
Forget fancy particle accelerators — a cheaper tool for emitting X-rays is right there in the office supply cabinet. Pulling back Scotch tape emits X-rays, the same high-energy light emanating from airport security scanners and the interiors of galaxy clusters, and scientists now have a better understanding of why.
The radiation becomes human-scale harmless within a hair’s-breadth of generation, but it’s still pretty cool. And important. See the whole story: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/64111/title/Tale_of_the_tape_