X-Ray Kin: Radiation risk is hereditary

Susceptibility to radiation-induced tumors runs in families, according to an unusual study.

In the 1950s, Jewish immigrants from North Africa and elsewhere streamed into the new country of Israel. Many arriving children carried a fungal scalp infection called tinea capitis, also known as ringworm. Standard treatment included a quick dose of X rays that zapped the fungus and induced temporary baldness.