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Marie Curie’s Last Radium Standard – Grand Challenge

Published

Author(s)

Bert M. Coursey

Abstract

The last of the radium-226 standards that Marie Curie personally handled is destined for a radioactive materials waste dump. Presented here is a history of the standards and a challenge to the scientific community to present a rationale for why this standard source, which 100 years ago was one of the most valuable standard artifacts in the world, should be preserved.
Citation
Physics Today
Volume
30
Issue
2/3

Keywords

Radium-226 standard, Marie Curie, history of standard

Citation

Coursey, B. (2016), Marie Curie’s Last Radium Standard – Grand Challenge, Physics Today (Accessed October 9, 2025)

Issues

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Created September 1, 2016, Updated January 27, 2020
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