Radiators

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission plans to ask whether its standards protect humans from mobile-phone radiation, a question it hasn't posed in 15 years, as people use smartphones for longer, more frequent calls. Julius Genachowski, the agency's chairman, is to ask fellow commissioners today to approve a notice commencing a formal inquiry, Tammy Sun, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in an emailed statement. The notice won't propose rules, Sun said. "Our action today is a routine review of our standards," Sun said.

Car Land's best-reviewed ride -- Radiator Springs Racers -- broke down on opening morning of the newest land at the Disney California Adventure park. Riders stranded when the ride stopped Friday were escorted away safely, and workers -- appropriately wearing mechanics' costumes -- walked  onto the tracks to inspect. The ride got going again a little more than an hour after halting. Debbie Heaton, 41, emerged from it, saying it was worth the wait -- “Because it was racing!

Radiator Springs Racers is the kind of ride nobody but Disney can do. The new $200 million attraction in the 12-acre Cars Land at Disney California Adventure brings to bear all the theme park giant's strengths and abilities: immersive storytelling, detailed thematic scenery, life-like animatronic characters and the illusion of speed and thrill. PHOTOS:   Buena Vista Street  |  Cars Land  |  Radiator Springs Racers  |  Mater's Junkyard Jamboree  |  Luigi's Flying Tires  |  Carsland origins The E-ticket ride is so amazing that Disney may need to come up with a new attraction designation: F-ticket.

The use of CTs, MRIs and other advanced medical imaging tests has soared over the last 15 years, according to new research that raises questions about whether the benefits of all these scans outweigh the potential risks from radiation exposure and costs to the healthcare system. An examination of data from patients enrolled in six large health maintenance organizations found that doctors ordered CT scans at a rate of 149 tests per 1,000 patients in 2010, nearly triple the rate of 52 scans per 1,000 patients in 1996.

Full-body scanners used for security screening at the nation's airports do not expose passengers to dangerous levels of radiation, according to a new independent analysis of the devices. The study by the Marquette University College of Engineering concluded that radiation from so-called backscatter scanners passes beyond a passenger's skin to reach 29 organs - including the heart and brain. But the radiation levels are considerably lower than those of otherX-ray procedures such as mammograms, the study said.

Pacific bluefin tuna carried radioactivity from Japan's 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster all the way across the ocean to the shores of California, scientists reported Monday. They didn't bring much - the levels were far lower than, for instance, levels of naturally occurring potassium 40 that have existed in the ocean for centuries - but the radioactivity was enough to survive the fishes' migration east to North America from the Western Pacific, which they undertake when they're around a year old, said doctoral student Daniel Madigan, who studies the migration patterns of tuna at Stanford University.

Warren Buffett's disclosure that he has prostate cancer will intensify the pressure on the famed investor to publicly reveal the name of the executive he has chosen to succeed him at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Berkshire announced Tuesday that the 81-year-old Buffett has Stage 1 prostate cancer and will begin radiation treatments in mid-July. It is considered to be the mildest form of prostate cancer, with doctors simply monitoring the normally slow-growing tumors to ensure patient conditions don't worsen.

A solar flare that sparked a spectacular light show Monday took a convenient left turn. But although Earth is now safe from the impact of a solar storm, some NASA spacecraft are in the line of fire. A solar observatory that monitors space flares; the Mars Science Laboratory, now traveling to Mars with precious cargo, the rover Curiosity; and the Spitzer Space Telescope will feel the effects of the solar storm, said solar astrophysicist Alex Young. "The Spitzer Space Telescope is going to take the biggest impact," Young said Tuesday in an interview with The Times.

Yogi Berra supposedly said, "It's tough making predictions, especially about the future. " He was right. However, there is an out for forecasters trying to predict long-term medical consequences of the Fukushima nuclear facility accident: The final reckoning will take about 50 years; they are unlikely to be around to be judged wrong. With this reassurance in mind, we think the public deserves an estimate of likely outcomes of radiation released when the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami caused multiple meltdowns of nuclear fuel at the plant.

The San Onofre nuclear power plant came under renewed scrutiny last week after a small radiation leak and the discovery of extensive tube damage. The leak and the tube wear "at no point posed a danger to the community or to workers on site," said Jennifer Manfre, spokeswoman with Southern California Edison, which operates the facility. But the incidents raised concern among environmental groups, which for years have kept a close eye on the plant near San Clemente following other safety problems.