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by baryphonic 1813 days ago
Or even (especially?) light bulbs. Visible light is far more energetic than radio- or microwave radiation.
1 comments

While this is true, it overlooks the selection pressures that exist on nucleotide selection. If I recall correctly, the canonical bases are relatively robust to radiation in the ir, visible, and uv spectrums when compared to other nucleotides. http://europepmc.org/article/PMC/4181368 Not sure if that's the correct article, but it's a good starting point on selection pressures for nucleotides and heterocycles.

That is to say - just because visible light is more energetic does not mean it is guaranteed to cause more damage.

(I briefly worked in Tor's lab - a truly incredible chemist and teacher)