Rewolucja w nauce : odkrycie polonu i radu

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa nr SONP/SP/546092/2022 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2024).

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The history of radioactivity is inextricably linked with the figures of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Pierre Curie and Ernest Rutherford. Without a trace of exaggeration, it should be admitted that we owe the knowledge of this phenomenon to them. Thanks to their work and genius, the radiation emitted by the „strangeˮ elements has gained notoriety in the scientific world. Over time, they were joined by other researchers, expanding the foundations of the new science and building a huge palace on them. They also emphasized the practical use of radioactive elements. And although the phenomenon itself was discovered in 1896 by Antoine Henri Becquerel, the birth of radioactivity should be attributed to the pioneering work of Rutherford and the Curies. The discovery of polonium and radium by Marie and Pierre Curie marked the beginning of a fascinating journey that led humanity into the atomic age. Thanks to them, the alchemists’ dream came true.