The fascinating, little-known story of how two brilliant female
physicists' groundbreaking discoveries led to the creation of the atomic
bomb.
In 1934, Irène Curie, working with her husband and fellow scientist,
Frederic Joliot, made a discovery that would change the world:
artificial radioactivity. This breakthrough allowed scientists to modify
elements and create new ones by altering the structure of atoms. Curie
shared a Nobel Prize with her husband for their work. But when she was
nominated to the French Academy of Sciences, the academy denied her
admission and voted to disqualify all women from membership. Four years
later, Curie's breakthrough led physicist Lise Meitner to a brilliant
leap of understanding that unlocked the secret of nuclear fission.
Meitner's unique insight was critical to the revolution in science that
led to nuclear energy and the race to build the atom bomb, yet her
achievement was left unrecognized by the Nobel committee in favor of
that of her male colleague.
Radioactive! presents the story of two women breaking ground in a
male-dominated field, scientists still largely unknown despite their
crucial contributions to cutting-edge research, in a nonfiction
narrative that reads with the suspense of a thriller. Photographs and
sidebars illuminate and clarify the science in the book.