• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Concerning effects scientist faced after proton beam went through his head with hundreds of fatal doses of radiation

Home> News> Science

Published 21:07 3 Feb 2025 GMT

Concerning effects scientist faced after proton beam went through his head with hundreds of fatal doses of radiation

He actually survived the beam of radiation

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

On 13 July, 1978, 36-year-old Soviet scientist Anatoli Bugorski was working for the Institute for High Energy Physics on a device called the U-70 synchrotron.

This was a nuclear particle accelerator that at time of construction held the world record for beam energy, meaning that it could generate the beam with the highest energy in the world.

While that record has since been surpassed, there is one person who was hit with that powerful beam and survived - and we've already told you the name and date it happened.

The path the beam took through his head (Public Domain)
The path the beam took through his head (Public Domain)

Advert

As for how it happened, Bugorski leaned into the device to check a piece of malfunctioning equipment and didn't realise that the safety mechanism wasn't functioning.

The scientist was hit in the head with a proton beam and saw 'a flash brighter than a thousand suns', though seemingly didn't feel pain from what had happened.

The parts of his head hit by the beam were exposed to between 200,000 to 300,000 roentgens of radiation, which is many, many times above a dose that should be lethal.

Despite being hit with a massive amount of radiation right to the head, he was alive, and in the days that followed, the left side of his face swelled up and his skin started to peel off.

Doctors could also see the path the beam had taken through his skin, skull and brain and expected him to die at some point over the next few weeks, but instead he continued to survive.

Advert

According to Wired, the path through the man's head continued to burn, resulting in nerve damage that paralysed the scientist on the left side of his face.

The control room of the particle accelerator (Wikimedia Commons)
The control room of the particle accelerator (Wikimedia Commons)

While he would occasionally have seizures, those were the only major signs of taking a proton beam full of enough lethal radiation to kill many men to the face.

The paralysed left side of his face also didn't age so much compared to the right side, and when he concentrated, wrinkles would only form on the right side of his face.

He said: "This is, in effect, an unintended test of proton warfare. I am being tested. The human capacity for survival is being tested."

Advert

During the 90s, he expressed an interest in leaving Russia and moving west where he could be studied further, but didn't have the money to move.

Incredibly, despite having a proton beam shot through his head the retired scientist seems to still be alive.

Despite his longevity we wouldn't recommend being hit with a proton beam, your own experience may be very different.

Featured Image Credit: Public Domain

Topics: Science, Health, Weird

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • 2 hours ago

    How man declared 'legally dead' walked into a courtroom to apply for a driving license

    And the astonishing part is, the judge said he was still legally dead

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Doctor issues warning about major mistake millions make while driving that is ‘slowing your brain down’

    Most cars have this button on the dashboard - but be mindful of how long you're using it for

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Expert reveals disturbing reason why you should never tell your dark secrets to ChatGPT

    Perhaps a set of code using data it's mined from the internet archive isn't your BFF?

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    The dark happenings behind the scenes of ChatGPT that many people don't know about

    In 2023, OpenAI was subjected to controversy following a TIME magazine investigation into ChatGPT

    News
  • YouTubers went diving in DIY scuba outfit under radioactive Chernobyl power unit
  • Man who decided to live underwater for 100 days reveals the shocking impact it had on his body
  • Man explains theory of Epigenetics after man who received heart transplant goes on to live same life and death as donor
  • Biohacker who is ‘de-aging his penis’ shares seven key methods he uses to track his penis health