: chemical decomposition by the action of radiation
radiolytic
ˌrā-dē-ə-ˈli-tik
adjective
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebNow a study published in Astrobiology contends that radiolysis could have powered microbial life in the Martian subsurface. Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 19 July 2021 Scientists have previously studied Mars radiolysis, but this marks the first estimate using Martian rocks to quantify the planet’s subsurface habitability. Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 19 July 2021 Sherwood Lollar, Lin, Onstott and their collaborators proposed in 2006 that the microbial communities under South Africa and Canada derived the energy for their survival from hydrogen produced through radiolysis.Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2021 That process, water radiolysis, was first observed in Marie Curie’s laboratory at the beginning of the 20th century, when researchers realized that solutions of radium salts generated bubbles of hydrogen and oxygen.Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2021 So began their long quest to unpack how important radiolysis might be to life in natural settings.Quanta Magazine, 31 May 2021 Radiolysis could also help create food for these aliens. Margi Murphy, Fox News, 24 May 2017 Lifeforms which have formed through radiolysis can be found closer to home. Margi Murphy, Fox News, 24 May 2017 See More
Word History
Etymology
New Latin
First Known Use
1948, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
radiolysis
noun
ra·di·ol·y·sis ˌrād-ē-ˈäl-ə-səs
plural radiolyses -ˌsēz
: chemical decomposition by the action of radiation compare photolysis