Chain Reactions: The Hopeful History of Uranium [Hardcover]

Tracing uranium's past—and how it intersects with our understanding of other radioactive elements—Chain Reactionsaims to enlighten readers and refresh our attitudes about the atomic world.

Chain Reactionslooks at the fascinating, often-forgotten stories that can be found throughout the history of uranium. From glassworks to penny stocks; from medicines to atomic weapons; from something to be feared to a powerful source of energy, this global history explores the scientific narrative of this unique element, but also shines a light on its cultural and social impact.

By understanding our nuclear past, we can move beyond the ideological opposition to technologies and encourage a more nuanced dialogue about whether it is feasible—and desirable—to have a genuinely nuclear-powered future.Lucy Jane Santos, author of Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium, is an expert in the history of twentieth-century with a particular interest in the cultural history of radioactivity. She is now the Executive Secretary of the British Society for the History of Science. Lucy lives in England.“Chain Reactionsis full of bright detail, as Santos lays out the ways that uranium has been found and extracted from Earth, penetrating human life.”“Ms. Santos explores both the academic and popular literature to unearth long-forgotten stories, both entertaining and horrifying, that capture the broader impact of uranium on our society.”"Chain Reactionsis an essential read for those interested in the history and future of our applications of the atomic nucleus. It is enlightening, engaging, tragic, funny, accurate, and optimistic, all at once. Lucy Jane Santos' research and analysis have uncovered nearly-forgotten archival information and cleanly extracted an authoritative reality fromlÓD