172: A Life of Its Own

05/06/2025 19 min Episodio 172
172: A Life of Its Own

Listen "172: A Life of Its Own"

Episode Synopsis

In which we discuss the history of scientists attempting to determine a half-life of a specific radioactive isotope of samarium, and why that determination is so important for other branches of science. We learn of the poor quality of the observation, how at least one result was retracted, and how a new way to measure half-lives offers hope for a resolution to this problem.Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at [email protected] Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing, https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/12670#t=aboutBook