This book contains discussions and deliberations by international experts concerned with the biological effects of low dose exposure to radiation. Everyone knows high doses are harmful but there is huge controversary about low dose effects. Our contributors range from those concerned about long term transgenerational effects of low dose exposure on humans and on the environment, to those who think low doses are beneficial and drive evolution. Novel content in the book refers to efforts to develop new ways of looking at impacts on ecosystems. Human radiation protection is concerned with protecting against adverse effects such as human cancers but in the ecosystem, the approach needs to be holistic – recognising the interdependence of all life on earth. To do this contributors to the book discussed the importance of Earth System Science approaches - moving away from the reductionist approaches to ecosystems currently in vogue. A key feature of the book is the interdisciplinary nature of the participants whose expertise ranges from ecology to genomics and covers physics, chemistry biology, environmental science, bioinformatics, social science and medicine. The book will be of value to those concerned with radiation protection as well as students of environmental science interested in system science approaches to complex environmental and medical issues.

Carmel Mothersill is a Professor and Canada Research Chair of Environmental Radiobiology at McMaster University in Canada. Her research interests are the biological effects of low dose radiation on non-human biota with a special interest in developing methods to study impacts at the population and ecosystem level.

Gayle Woloschak is Professor of Radiation Oncology and Associate Dean in The Graduate School at Northwestern University. Her research interests center around low dose radiation biology, X-ray fluorescence microscopy, and nanotechnology.

Francois Brechignac is a retired environmental scientist who worked in IRSN France. He was president and General Secretary of the International Union of Radioecologists for many years and is currently a vice-president. His particular interests are in the development o ecosystem level approaches in radiation protection.

Andrea Bonisoli-Alquati is Associate Professor of Environmental Toxicology at Cal Poly Pomona, in California. His research in the context of radioecology uses field studies, and molecular and biomarkers approaches to investigate natural variation in sensitivity and response to low dose radiation in wild populations of animals, with particular interest in birds.