io9: Uranium

How big of a dose of radiation do you get when reading Playboy?

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 07:00:00 PDT

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Glossy magazines often contain a substance that has elevated levels of uranium and thorium. This means that reading one for various lengths of time slightly heightens your level of radiation exposure. Find out how much magazines like Playboy are poisoning your body, even if they're not corrupting your mind and polluting your soul. More »

Electro-bugs have appendages that zap the uranium out of water

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:40:00 PDT

The bacteria known as Geobacter sulfurreducens, when exposed to uranium, pretty much just die. But under certain conditions, they can grow appendages that can literally make uranium drop out of water like a stone. Scientists have found a way to get them to grow the right way, and may even be able to recreate them artificially. More »

Where is all the Earth's heat coming from?

Alasdair Wilkins — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 10:00:00 PDT

Earth runs on massive amounts of heat, enough to melt iron in the core and create our magnetic field, enough to power the constant movement of plate tectonics. Where all this heat comes from is a mystery...but we're getting closer. More »

Why a nuclear reactor will never become a bomb

Alasdair Wilkins — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:14:54 PDT

As Japan's Fukushima power plant continues to struggle with massive equipment failure and radiation release that could well reach Chernobyl levels, we can take some small comfort in the knowledge that a full-on nuclear explosion is completely impossible. Here's why. More »

What does it mean to "enrich" Uranium?

Esther Inglis-Arkell — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:00:00 PDT

A must-read entry for all future dictators. Take a look at the meaning of "enriching uranium," why it's necessary, and some of the processes used to do it. More »

Return Of The UFO That Mined Uranium In Argentina During The 1970s?

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:00:00 PST

An Argentinian newspaper reports that people have witnessed the return of UFOs that once mined uranium in the Frías area. In fact, this image is a cell phone snap of a recent UFO visit to the region. More »

A History of Uranium, the Rock That Nuked the World

AndrewLiptak — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:19:36 PDT

Uranium was considered a useless material until very recently in human history, when it quite literally exploded into the public consciousness. Tom Zoellner's engaging new book Uranium reveals how this once-humble element transformed human civilization. More »

T-Shirts That Advertise Atomic Structures

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:00:00 PDT

Uranium is one of the most notorious elements — it's gotten a pretty bad rap due to its tendency to show up in nuclear weapons. Also, it's kind of radioactive. That's probably why it's such a great element to show your support for in t-shirt form. Woot! has uranium tees that pay tribute to this crazy, 92-proton element. But maybe you're into having molecules on your tee, and you want them to do more than look pretty. Maybe you want them to actually undergo a chemical reaction right there on your chest. That's where hypercolor tees come in — their dye changes color as it heats up next to your skin. More »