Doing lecture prep on ionising radiation and I need to know: does proton radiation (or beta+ emission for that matter) taste sour?
I tried to look this up (surely I don't have a unique silly question) and internet says:
you cannot taste that radiation, because sour detection is based on hydrogen ions.
I am only a biologist, but hydrogen ions are protons, right? H = 1proton + 1 electron, remove the electron and you have a proton...
This also just makes me confused about how proton beam radiation can pass through tissue. Alpha particles don't pass through stuff easily, but a proton particle radiation does? Is that because the protons are a lot smaller than helium nuclei?
And I guess the ionizing effects of the high energy protons are just more meaningful in tumor treatment than any effects on pH?
Time to continue reading 
Also: glad the students don't follow me here, because they'll lose all faith in their future lectures
@susanleemburg Don't know the answer to your questions but your students should be happy that their lecturer checks facts before telling them, and is not afraid of admitting she isn't sure about something. We have all been there, nothing to be ashamed of!
@nicolaromano @susanleemburg need to go a step further, Nicola. It is to be proud of. It is, in fact, science, itself.