Can You Split Atoms of Uranium at Home in Your Kitchen? One Swedish Man Investigates

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 - 16:00 in Physics & Chemistry

Yes, it turns out, but it's frowned upon Here at PopSci we like to nurture that DIY, can-do, experimental spirit, but file this one under what not to do: A Swedish gentleman, citing a a curiosity about whether or not it's possible to split atoms in one's own home, has been arrested for trying to induce fission of radium, americium, and uranium in his kitchen. No joke. Now, lest the Swedes get a bad name for running an over-protective state, it's important to note here that Richard Handl was not arrested for being a scientific pioneer, but for being in possession of highly controlled radioactive materials, one of which has previously been used to destroy entire cities. Related ArticlesDeuterium DIY: Man Builds Homemade Nuclear Fusion Reactor in BrooklynCan Next-Generation Reactors Power a Safe Nuclear Future?FYI: How Does Nuclear Radiation Do Its Damage?TagsScience, Clay Dillow, atomic theory, energy, fission, nuclear fission, radioactivity, splitting atoms,...

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