‘Hacker’ Group Safecast Crowdsources Radiation Data in Japan

We officially launch a new feature today we’re calling “Science Thursday.” Each week, we’ll feature an online-exclusive multimedia piece on a topic in the world of science and technology.

Here’s what’s up first. On Thursday’s NewsHour, science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on a grassroots group called Safecast that is measuring and mapping data on radiation contamination from locations around Japan after this year’s devastating earthquake.

While in Tokyo, Miles spoke to Hari Sreenivasan about his trip with Safecast workers into the voluntary exclusion zone around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, where they detected levels reaching the equivalent of six X-rays per day.

He also filled us in on his conversations with Japanese officials working in evacuated areas and Japanese residents eager for more information about the consequences of the nuclear accident.

Find more coverage on our science page.