Radioactive!: How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World

The fascinating, little-known story of how two brilliant female physicists’ groundbreaking discoveries led to the creation of the atomic bomb. In 1934, though she couldn’t know it yet, Irene 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. Irene Curie, a Frenchwoman, shared a Nobel Prize with her husband for their work. But when she was nominated to the French Academy of Sciences, not only was she denied admission, the Academy also voted to disqualify all women from membership. Her exclusion from the academy marked Irene Curie’s gradual demotion to a footnote in the history of atomic science. 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. Conkling delivers an important nonfiction narrative that reads with the urgency and suspense of an absorbing novel. The text is supplemented throughout by photographs and sidebars that explain in clear and concise language the science in the book.