Chapter Chatter

The study and procurement of nuclear materials have been all the rage during the last 100 years. A dozen decades ago physicists and scientists were unlocking hidden nuclear mysteries. Seminal work was done by Marie Curie, née Maria Salomea Sktodowska, a Polish scientist and nuclear pioneer. By observing that air around uranium conducted electricity, Madame Curie discovered that the air was being ionized by energy emanating from the heavy grey metal. Further studies of these odd materials supported her hypothesis that the radiation was due to action at the atomic level, which ran counter to thinking that the atoms were indivisible. For this, she is credited with advancing the theory of this unseen, but powerful force.