The element radium can be found in extremely tiny amounts in the Earth’s crust and oceans, and in its pure form it is a soft silvery metal. To an untrained eye, a small piece of radium may look like a ...

Long before scientists split the atom, quacks and con artists were splitting the profits. Marie and Pierre Curie’s pioneering scientific work was 50 years old before America dropped the A-bomb. But ...

Salesmen (and the press) learned that tonics labeled ”radium,” once the most expensive substance on Earth, flew off the shelves. Meanwhile, scientists scrambled to learn what the radioactive material ...

While 1920s soda shops offered a plethora of sweet treats, nearby pharmacies served their own tinctures—like Radithor, certified radioactive water. A century later, the mere idea seems absurd, and ...

Marie Curie's discoveries in radioactivity revolutionized science. She handled dangerous radioactive materials before safety ...

HOUSTON -- Hundreds of water providers around the Gulf Coast region are providing drinking water to customers that contain radioactive contaminants that raise health risks, according to state lab ...

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.) Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like ...

The element radium can be found in extremely tiny amounts in the Earth’s crust and oceans, and in its pure form it is a soft silvery metal. To an untrained eye, a small piece of radium may look like a ...