'We’re living in a microwave’: Some US cities want to keep 5G further from their citizens as debate over the tech's health effects rages on

• Telecom companies are rolling out the latest 5G technology 
• Its already been implemented in parts of California 
• There will need to be an estimated 80,000 more 'small towers' closer together 
• Some studies suggest higher frequency cell radiation may be linked to cancers 
• Other experts dismiss the risks 
• Cities in California and New York have tried to pass ordinances to put more distance between citizens and new cell towers  

As telecom companies roll out the next wave of 5G cell towers, some families want their cities to turn down the latest, fastest service due to cancer fears. 

Over the next 20 years, an estimated 800,000 additional mini 5G cell towers will be needed to serve Americans. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and providers like AT&T and Verizon insist that the radiofrequency radiation the towers emit is perfectly safe - but some experts warn otherwise. 

And in cities like Sacramento, California, where the smaller, new-generation towers have already been installed, scientists have even told some homeowners that the poles just outside are not safe.  

The city council of Mill Valley, California, passed an urgent ordinance to attempt to regulate the placement of new towers after citizens expressed concerns. 

Similar moves are being made by San Francisco and Syracuse, New York, among others across nation, where local governments and health experts are often divided over the potential health effects of 5G.  

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As telecom companies roll out the latest 5G wireless network technology in the US, more cell towers - like these, already installed in Germany (fiel) - are cropping up closer together, and that has some cities and experts worried 

When a small 5G cell tower went up next to Aaron and Hannah McMahon's Sacramento home, they quickly felt concerned and suspicious of it, they told CBS Sacramento.  

The couple has two young daughters, aged six and three, and wonder what the effects the constant cell transmissions might have on the girls' growing bodies and brains.  

In fact, the McMahon's were so concerned that they had inspectors come out and check their home for radiation.  

'We had a few experts come out and told us we were living in a microwave,' Hannah told CBS Sacramento. 

'They can’t tell me that something that’s fairly new, and relatively untested, is not gonna be harmful in 10-15 years.'  

The problem is that no one can say beyond a shadow of a doubt whether or not radiation from these towers could cause harm eventually. 

RADIATION CAN CAUSE CANCER - BUT NOT ALL RADIATION IS CAN CAUSE CANCER 

Technically, they're not living in a microwave, as microwaves a different form of radiation from radio frequency radiation. 

Radiation like X-rays, and UV rays can corrupt DNA and trigger cancer. But radiation exists on a spectrum, and these three categories of radiation are higher frequency than radiofrequency, meaning they transmit more energy. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed radiowave radiation only a possible carcinogen - whereas UV and X-ray radiation are both known carcinogens. 

The FCC considers the levels of radiation emitted by cell towers safe, and its regulations around cell phones are to protect against dangers presented by overheating phones more than any potential carcinogenic effects. 

Observational studies have found similar rates of cancer among people exposed to higher and lower levels of radiation. 

In recent years, however, an major NIH-funded study, as well as a second large study, both found links between cell phone radiation and some cancers, including certain brain and heart tumors. 

In their wake, experts and health officials have become starkly divided on the issue, with some asserting cell phone and tower radiation is safe and others insisting it isn't.  

Even within the lower frequency radiowave category of radiation, there is variation, including between various generations of cell network technology. 

The 5G technology being rolled out currently uses higher frequency radiation than its predecessors - and that has some experts concerned. 

Higher frequency means greater levels of potentially damaging energy, and the new smaller towers being rolled out for 5G need to be closer together, which could increase overall human exposure. 

CITIES ARE DIVIDED OVER WHETHER TO EMBRACE 5G OR BLOCK IT AMID CITIZEN'S HEALTH FEARS  

Citizens in Mill Valley, a small town outside San Francisco, were concerned, too, and voiced those worries to the city council. 

In September 2018, the council passed an ordinance requiring telecomm companies to apply to place new towers, antennas or boxes in the city. 

Although the ordinance has been called an effective block against 5G, senior planner for Mill Valley, Danielle Staude, says that's not the case. 

Instead, it lists the cities 'preferences' for how additional cellular tech be implemented. If carriers describe an acceptable implementation strategy, the city will approve it and 5G can be implemented.    

But the FCC has given the go ahead and also required cities to move faster on their end of the implementation of 5G. 

'I think these citizens are right and the FCC has clearly over-stepped its role and [behaving as though it is] blind to the potential health effects of 5G and 4, and others,' says Dr Joel Moskowitz, a UC Berkeley public health researcher. 

On the other hand, Dr Jerrod Bushberg, a radiology expert at UC Davis says it's much ado about nothing. 

He says that although it is higher frequency, 5G 'doesn't travel very far,' and that, although radiofrequency is technically radiation, it doesn't hve the same chemical effects as gamma or X rays. 

He says that it is not powerful enough to force electrons to peal away from atoms or molecules, a force that causes cancer. 

'But people hear "radiation" and see the box and imagine it's something much worse than it is,' he told DailyMail.com. 

Dr Bushberg - who was consulted by the city of Sacramento on the safety and potential health effects of 5G networks - says the uptick in fears over the technology has more to do with its increased visibility than the tech itself. 

'It happens a lot in our society - it happened when locomotive trains were introduced, many people were afraid to travel on them because they thought human bodies were not meant to move at those speeds,' he says. 

'But we need continued research, we never know all the answers about anything.' 

And while that research is being done, cities in California and New York will continue to try to rein in or slow the implementation of the 5G technology for which Dr Moskowitz as said humans are the 'guinea pigs' of safety testing. 

Mesmerising animation reveals how humans could colonise the Milky Way and begin to conquer the entire galaxy

• The simulation was the winner of a NASA 'interplanetary trajectory' competition
• It envisaged a future in which huge colony ships voyage across the Milky Way 
• Entrants had to plot out the most efficient way to colonise 100,000 star systems
• The winning entry was submitted by a team of experts from institutions in China A roadmap for colonising the galaxy is brought to life in a mesmerising animation that plots paths for future humanity's ships as they take settlers out among the stars.

The model shows all the individual journeys that would be needed for a methodical series of migrations by giant colony vessels to 100,000 habitable star systems.

Developed by Chinese experts, the simulation won a NASA competition to solve a 'nearly-impossible' mathematical puzzle of interplanetary trajectory design.

The galaxy-settling model is the brainchild of a team of Chinese researchers from the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha and the Xi'an Satellite Control Center. 

The simulation won this year's Global Trajectory Optimization Competition, held by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, which opened on May 21 and closed on June 12, 2019.

This year's competition theme, 'Settlers of the Galaxy', envisaged a future in which humanity had developed the necessary technology and impetus to spread out across the Milky Way.

Participating research teams were challenged to find the most energy-efficient way to uniformly settle 100,000 different habitable star systems while using as little propulsion as possible.Competition setter and NASA scientist Anastassios Petropoulos described the scenario as follows: 'In about ten thousand years from the present, humanity will reset its counting of years to zero.'

'Year Zero will be the year when humanity decides the time is ripe for the human race to boldly venture into the galaxy and settle other star systems.'

'Although technologies and knowledge have dramatically progressed, we are still subject to the tyranny of inertia and remain far from the near-instantaneous space travel depicted fancifully in science fiction,' Dr Petropoulos finished.

Such space ships would therefore need to be so-called 'generation ships' — enormous, self-supporting vessels that would be home to various successive generations of humans in the time needed for them to reach their destination. 

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A roadmap for colonising the galaxy is brought to life in a stunning animation that shows the paths of future humanity's ships as they take settlers out among the stars

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The model shows all the individual journeys that would be needed for a methodical series of migrations by giant colony vessels to 100,000 habitable star systems

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Starting from the Solar System, depicted as a yellow dot, the initial expansion out into our galaxy are painted in blue and green, while subsequent launches from other star systems are portrayed in red

In the researchers' video — which looks like somewhat like a fireworks display — each coloured streak represents the path of human generation ships as they forge their way between the stars.

Starting from the Solar System, depicted as a yellow dot, the initial expansion out into our galaxy are painted in blue and green, while subsequent launches from other star systems are portrayed in red.

In keeping with the contest scenario, the initial exodus from the solar system featured three so-called 'motherships' — each able to deploy ten planet-colonising pods — and two fast ships that can only colonise a single planet.

Each subsequently-settled planet can then, after 2 million years, launch three settler ships that can only colonise a single planet.

The colonisation models were allowed to run for the equivalent of 90 million years.

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The space ships in the models would need to be so-called 'generation ships' — enormous, self-supporting vessels that would be home to various successive generations of humans in the time needed for them to reach their destination (pictured, in an artist's impression)

At the end of the winning simulation, the model shows human settlements spread all across both of the neighbouring arms of the galaxy, Perseus and Carina–Sagittarius, which lie on either side of the so-called Orion Spur minor arm that contains the Sun.

At the same time, the animation shows much of the distant Scutus-Centaurus Arm also well-settled, falling into humanity's galactic civilisation.

In recognition of the rate at which humanity is depleting the resources of the Solar system — making the leap to interstellar migration time-sensitive — participating teams were awarded bonus points for submitting their solutions early. 

'Humanity’s resources are dwindling and the sooner we decide on a settlement plan for the galaxy, the better,' Dr Petropoulos wrote.

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Another entry, pictured, developed by a think tank from the European Space Agency's Advanced Concepts Team came in third place

Take a look at how a future humanity could colonise the galaxy

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Another entry developed by a think tank from the European Space Agency's Advanced Concepts Team came in third place.

The video illustrating the ESA researchers' model was presented at the Interstellar Workshop that was held at the European Space Research and Technology Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, between June 20–21 2019.

Among the topics discussed at the event were the potential for developing generation ships that could travel between the stars, laser-based propulsion systems for spacecraft and methods to keep humans healthy in space.

Researchers also explored how societies might function on enormous generation ships — including how language might evolve on-board.

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In keeping with the contest scenario, the initial exodus from the solar system featured three so-called 'motherships' — each able to deploy ten planet-colonising pods — and two fast ships that can only colonise a single planet (pictured, an artist's impression of a generation ship)

WHAT ARE GENERATION SHIPS? 

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The inside of a hypothetical generation ship

Generation ships — or 'worldships' — are a hypothetical type of giant spacecraft capable of travelling the colossal distances between stars.

Travelling only at sub-light speeds, the vessels would likely take thousands of years to reach their destinations and play host to successive generations of travellers, with the descendants of the original crew reaching the destination.

Any such vessel would need to be entirely self-sustaining and able to provide energy, air, water and food for it inhabitants.

One proposed design for a worldship — dubbed an O'Neill colony — would see humans living on the inside surfaces of two giant, rotating cylinders.

The concept of generational ships come with various ethical and social issues.

For example, would it even be appropriate to lock the descendants of the original crew into pushing onward with a mission they did not choose — and may even be destined to never see to fruition?

There is also the question of as to whether such a society would be able to endure, or whether it would break down by, for example, a mutiny.

World's first battery-powered hybrid cruise ship sails for the Arctic on its maiden voyage

• Engines run mainly on marine gasoil, but the ship can also run solely on batteries
• Under ideal conditions, it can run for 45-60 minutes on its battery packs alone
• It heads for the Arctic this week and will sail the Northwest Passage to Alaska The world's first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power is set to head out from northern Norway on its maiden voyage, cruise operator Hurtigruten said on Monday.

The hybrid expedition cruise ship, the Roald Amundsen, can take 500 passengers and is designed to sail in harsh climate waters.

Named after the Norwegian explorer who navigated the Northwest Passage in 1903-1906 and was first to reach the South Pole in 1911, the ship heads for the Arctic from Tromsoe this week and will sail the Northwest Passage to Alaska before heading south, reaching Antarctica in October.

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The world's first cruise ship propelled partially by battery power is set to head out from northern Norway on its maiden voyage. The company estimates that the battery pack will reduce fuel consumption and save about 20% in carbon dioxide emissions

HOW DOES THE HYBRID SHIP WORK? 

The Roald Amundsen runs on both battery power and marine gasoil in effort to cut down on fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

The ship can run on battery alone for 45-60 minutes at a time, or use the hybrid system to 'compensate for spinning reserve and aid in peak shaving,' according to Hurtigruten.

These improvements in efficiency could slash carbon dioxide emissions by about 20 percent, the company says.

While the engines run mainly on marine gasoil, the ship's battery pack enables it to run solely on batteries for around 45 to 60 minutes under ideal conditions, Hurtigruten Chief Executive Daniel Skjeldam told Reuters.

The company estimates that the battery pack will reduce fuel consumption and save about 20% in carbon dioxide emissions, compared to if the ship was operating on marine gasoil alone.

'It's designed to take excessive energy from the engines and put into the battery when the ship doesn't need it, and put it back into the engine when the ship needs it -- it is a way of reducing emissions significantly without having charging stations available,' Skjeldam said.

The company, which operates scenic cruise lines along the country's fjords and into the Arctic, was inspired by Norway's fleet of hybrid ferries and also its growing fleet of electric cars, he said.

Battery technology for propelling ships is in its infancy, even on shorter routes, as few ports provide charging stations.

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The hybrid expedition cruise ship, the Roald Amundsen, can take 500 passengers and is designed to sail in harsh climate waters

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While the engines run mainly on marine gasoil, the ship's battery pack enables it to run solely on batteries for around 45 to 60 minutes under ideal conditions

'We expect batteries to be an important part of shipping in the years to come, but of course we don't expect our ships to be able to operate only on batteries, because the ship can sail up to 18-20 days in areas where there are no charging points,' Skjeldam said.

Hurtigruten expects infrastructure will improve on its traditional routes along the Norwegian coast, while currently charging services are only provided in Bergen, Norway's second-largest city.

The future for batteries on larger ships also hinges on suppliers' capacity to develop lighter, more powerful systems.

The company, which operates scenic cruise lines along the country's fjords and into the Arctic, was inspired by Norway's fleet of hybrid ferries and also its growing fleet of electric cars, he said

'We expect a revolution on battery technology for ships, we expect batteries to be lighter, more effective, and we've set aside extra room for more batteries to be installed when battery packs become more effective,' Skjeldam said.

He added that the second hybrid cruise ship the company has on order, to be delivered later this year, will have battery pack with twice the capacity of the Roald Amundsen.