Editing Electromagnetic radiation (section)

=== X-rays and gamma rays ===
{{Main|X-rays|Gamma rays}}
Electromagnetic radiation composed of photons that carry minimum-ionization energy, or more (which includes the entire spectrum with shorter wavelengths), is therefore termed [[ionizing radiation]]. (Many other kinds of ionizing radiation are made of non-EM particles.) Electromagnetic-type ionizing radiation extends from the extreme ultraviolet to all higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths, which means that all X-rays and gamma rays qualify. These are capable of the most severe types of molecular damage, which can happen in biology to any type of biomolecule, including mutation and cancer,<ref name="Baeyens-2023">{{Citation |last1=Baeyens |first1=Ans |title=Basic Concepts of Radiation Biology |date=2023 |work=Radiobiology Textbook |pages=25–81 |editor-last=Baatout |editor-first=Sarah |url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-18810-7_2 |access-date=2025-03-24 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-18810-7_2 |isbn=978-3-031-18810-7 |last2=Abrantes |first2=Ana Margarida |last3=Ahire |first3=Vidhula |last4=Ainsbury |first4=Elizabeth A. |last5=Baatout |first5=Sarah |last6=Baselet |first6=Bjorn |last7=Botelho |first7=Maria Filomena |last8=Boterberg |first8=Tom |last9=Chevalier |first9=Francois}}</ref> and often at great depths below the skin, since the higher end of the X-ray spectrum, and all of the gamma ray spectrum, penetrate matter.