The fear of the biological effects of radioactivity: «Humanity in danger» and «Japan under the terror of the monster»

Abstract

In the 1950s, two important discoveries were carried out. In the first place, the structure of nucleic acids was discovered and secondly, the deleterious effects of radioactivity in humans were characterized. As a consequence, films started to show the fears of the societies against the new threats by means of the traditional association of science fiction and terror plots. In Them! (1954) the appearance of giant ants as a consequence of nuclear experiments in the US causes the panic in the population. In Godzilla (1954), now the threat is generated by a gigantic creature that comes from the sea in Japan, as a sample of the aftermath of the nuclear bombing of the previous decade. Both films are good examples of how the society started to be worried by a menace which is still present in Western countries.

Keywords

• energía nuclear
• radioactividad
• mutaciones
• ciencia ficción