Life Atomic

Life Atomic
Author: Angela N. H. Creager
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 506
Release: 2013-10-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 022601794X

After World War II, the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began mass-producing radioisotopes, sending out nearly 64,000 shipments of radioactive materials to scientists and physicians by 1955. Even as the atomic bomb became the focus of Cold War anxiety, radioisotopes represented the government’s efforts to harness the power of the atom for peace—advancing medicine, domestic energy, and foreign relations. In Life Atomic, Angela N. H. Creager tells the story of how these radioisotopes, which were simultaneously scientific tools and political icons, transformed biomedicine and ecology. Government-produced radioisotopes provided physicians with new tools for diagnosis and therapy, specifically cancer therapy, and enabled biologists to trace molecular transformations. Yet the government’s attempt to present radioisotopes as marvelous dividends of the atomic age was undercut in the 1950s by the fallout debates, as scientists and citizens recognized the hazards of low-level radiation. Creager reveals that growing consciousness of the danger of radioactivity did not reduce the demand for radioisotopes at hospitals and laboratories, but it did change their popular representation from a therapeutic agent to an environmental poison. She then demonstrates how, by the late twentieth century, public fear of radioactivity overshadowed any appreciation of the positive consequences of the AEC’s provision of radioisotopes for research and medicine.

Adventures in the Atomic Age

Adventures in the Atomic Age
Author: Glenn Theodore Seaborg
Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2001-01-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780374299910

The renowned physicist describes his Nobel Prize-winning career, his work with the Manhattan Project, his discovery of the element that makes atomic bombs explode, and his term as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

Isotopes in the Atomic Age

Isotopes in the Atomic Age
Author: Hari Jeevan Arnikar
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 288
Release: 1989
Genre: Science
ISBN:

An account of isotopes separation processes, this textbook has been specifically written for student and professional chemical engineers. The guide outlines important methods, how to improve their yields, with discussions of the theory and application of each technique.

The Elements: A Very Short Introduction

The Elements: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Philip Ball
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2004-04-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0192840991

This Very Short Introduction is an exciting and non-traditional approach to understanding the terminology, properties, and classification of chemical elements. It traces the history and cultural impact of the elements on humankind from ancient times through today. Packed with anecdotes, The Elements is a highly engaging and entertaining exploration of the fundamental question: what is the world made from?

Isotope Methods for Dating Old Groundwater

Isotope Methods for Dating Old Groundwater
Author: International Atomic Energy Agency
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9789201372109

This guidebook provides theoretical and practical information for using a variety of isotope tracers for dating old groundwater, i.e. water stored in geological formations for periods ranging from about 1000 to one million years. Theoretical underpinnings of the methods and guidelines for their use in different hydrogeological environments are described. The guidebook also presents a number of case studies providing insight into how various isotopes have been used in aquifers around the world. The methods, findings and conclusions presented in this publication will enable students and practicing groundwater scientists to evaluate the use of isotope dating tools for specific issues related to the assessment and management of groundwater resources. In addition, the guidebook will be of use to the scientific community interested in issues related to radioactive waste disposal in geological repositories.

Canada Enters the Nuclear Age

Canada Enters the Nuclear Age
Author: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
Total Pages: 466
Release: 1997
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780773516014

The nuclear energy company has overseen the production of its own history, focusing on programs at its laboratories in Chalk River, Ontario, and Whiteshell, Manitoba between 1943 and 1985. The 16 scientists who wrote the narrative discuss the organization and operations of the laboratories, nuclear safety and radiation protection, radioisotopes, basic research, developing the CANDU reactor, managing the radioactive wastes, business development, and revenue generation. Canadian card order number: C97-900188-9. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

150 Years of the Periodic Table

150 Years of the Periodic Table
Author: Carmen J. Giunta
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 453
Release: 2021-07-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3030679101

This book provides an overview of the origins and evolution of the periodic system from its prehistory to the latest synthetic elements and possible future additions. The periodic system of the elements first emerged as a comprehensive classificatory and predictive tool for chemistry during the 1860s. Its subsequent embodiment in various versions has made it one of the most recognizable icons of science. Based primarily on a symposium titled “150 Years of the Periodic Table” and held at the August 2019 national meeting of the American Chemical Society, this book describes the origins of the periodic law, developments that led to its acceptance, chemical families that the system struggled to accommodate, extension of the periodic system to include synthetic elements, and various cultural aspects of the system that were celebrated during the International Year of the Periodic Table.

Isotopes

Isotopes
Author: Rob Ellam
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 153
Release: 2016
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0198723628

Isotopes are used in many areas of science and technology, including medicine, archaeology, and nuclear physics. They are central to our understanding of the Earth's past and current processes. Here, Rob Ellam explains the importance and applications of stable and radioactive isotopes.

The Pope of Physics

The Pope of Physics
Author: Gino Segrè
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 387
Release: 2016-10-18
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1627790063

Enrico Fermi is unquestionably among the greats of the world's physicists, the most famous Italian scientist since Galileo. Called the Pope by his peers, he was regarded as infallible in his instincts and research. His discoveries changed our world; they led to weapons of mass destruction and conversely to life-saving medical interventions. This unassuming man struggled with issues relevant today, such as the threat of nuclear annihilation and the relationship of science to politics. Fleeing Fascism and anti-Semitism, Fermi became a leading figure in America's most secret project: building the atomic bomb. The last physicist who mastered all branches of the discipline, Fermi was a rare mixture of theorist and experimentalist. His rich legacy encompasses key advances in fields as diverse as comic rays, nuclear technology, and early computers. In their revealing book, The Pope of Physics, Gino Segré and Bettina Hoerlin bring this scientific visionary to life. An examination of the human dramas that touched Fermi’s life as well as a thrilling history of scientific innovation in the twentieth century, this is the comprehensive biography that Fermi deserves.