Can damage caused by radiation be passed on to offspring?

Answer 1

Yes. If it is damage to the cells in the gonads that produce gametes.

What is tricky is that the damage is *different* to the victim than to the offspring. The victim of the radiation is suffering damage in a way that may not affect them otherwise or in different ways. For example, the victim may suffer cancer, but the offspring may not get cancer, but instead may suffer a birth defect in the development of some structure.

Answer 2

Yes, it most certainly can. Radiation may alter the way cells function, causing a mutation. If people have children after the mutation takes place, the mutation may be carried on.
A great example of this would be the plutonium and uranium bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Answer 3

i agree with ecolink in the case of a multicellular organism which reproduces sexually. in the case of unicellular organism which reproduce by binary fission, then it is a definite yes, if the radiation damages or alters the DNA or RNA (in the case of some microbes) then that change or "mutation" is passed directly to the offspring.

Answer 4

Radiation damage is only passed on if the damage occurs in the gametes or in the cells that make the gametes.

Answer 5

Yes, proof of course is found in the children of the survivors of Nagasaki, and Hiroshima.