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Originally Posted by wayrad
Very cool article, thanks! I see they knock gamma rays and muons out of atoms as well as electrons and photons, so I stand corrected on nuclear reactions being involved (although I'm not sure I'd call that "shattering").
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One particle causes a rain of decay products that is spread out over square miles-- that sounds shattery to me.
Besides, nuclear reactions in the upper atmosphere from cosmic rays/solar wind isn't unusual. That's where Carbon 14 of "carbon dating" fame comes from, among other things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-...ioactive_decay