Skip to main content

What are nuclear isomers? And why are they so awesome?


Nobel laureate Otto Hahn is credited with the discovery of nuclear fission. Fission is one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century, yet Hahn considered something else to be his best scientific work. In 1921, he was studying radioactivity at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, Germany, when he noticed something he could not explain. One of the elements he was working with wasn’t behaving as it should have. Hahn had unknowingly discovered the first nuclear isomer, an atomic nucleus whose protons and neutrons are arranged differently from the common form of the element, causing it…

This story continues at The Next Web

from The Next Web https://ift.tt/cQhM1WE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Doomed US lander crushes hopes for first European tech on the Moon

The Peregrine lunar lander is set to crash back to Earth in a sudden end to a mission that was set to put the first piece of European-built technology — and the human remains of a distinguished British sci-fi author — on the Moon.  Shortly after launching from Cape Canaveral space station on Monday January 8, the spacecraft suffered a “critical loss of propellant” and was doomed to failure ever since. It is now expected to crash land into Earth on January 18. Astrobotic Technology, the company that built the lander, said it is now working with NASA on a… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/bHU2dJZ

Macron convinces UK nuclear startup to build its first factory in France

London-based nuclear energy startup Newcleo has scrapped plans to build its first power plant in Britain, opting to invest in France instead.  The move follows extensive lobbying by France’s president Emmanuel Macron, who has personally met with Newcleo’s chief executive and founder Stefano Buono several times, to convince him to build the company’s first modular nuclear reactor in France, the Telegraph reports.  Founded in 2021, Newcleo develops small nuclear reactors powered by radioactive waste. The company initially sought to tap the UK’s vast stockpile of nuclear waste at the former Sellafield site to power its reactors.  But after two years… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/m9LkMaS

TNW Podcast: Oscar Kneppers on academic startups; ESA wants to detect space-time ripples

Welcome to the new episode of the TNW Podcast — the show where we discuss the latest developments in the European technology ecosystem and feature interviews with some of the most interesting people in the industry. In today’s episode, Andrii and Linnea talk about a new European space mission, AI-generated podcasts, antiquated tech in German trains, and much more. In the interview section, we’re featuring a conversation with Oscar Kneppers, CEO of the Amsterdam Centre for Entrepreneurship, or ACE. He’s also founded several well-known local publications and one of the country’s major startup accelerators, Rockstart. Here are the stories and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web https://ift.tt/a6AlDsr