PopSci discovers the elements, one by one
Posted 06.01.2012 at 4:00 pm
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The periodic table of elements, organized thoughtfully from hydrogen to ununoctium, is a tribute to the accomplishments of modern chemistry and physics. Since Dmitri Mendeleev developed an early version of the now-ubiquitous layout in 1869, discovering a new element has been a surefire way for a scientist to grab a place in the history books--and in the pages of Popular Science.
See the gallery.
Showing just how fundamental the elements are to modern science, the third-ever issue of PopSci, from August 1872, included a lengthy essay outlining the history of the "different sorts of matter," predicting correctly that scientists might continue discovering elements for "centuries to come."
But it hasn't all been fame and glory. PopSci announced in 1926 that the first American had identified a new element, only to declare later that "illinium" was a fake. Oh, and there was that time in 1931 when we proudly reported that scientists could pack up and go home: all the elements had been found!
Check out this week's archive gallery for more super-nerdy chemistry drama.
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And where are our nuclear advancements now? Locked away renamed as environmental sins to protect the world from nuclear proliferation. Our generational nuclear ignorance grows as the last of the nuclear cowboys die from old age.
What is exactly a nuclear cowboy?
Robot... A nuclear Cowboy is a scientist who took dangerous and unnecessary risks with nuclear material... people who decided it would be a great idea to test nuclear Bombs on this planet...a group of scientists who decided that working on the frontier of human knowledge gave them the right to produce any number of scientific breakthroughs regardless of how they would be used. In other words a "Nuclear Cowboy" is a scientist who only cared about the outcome of the experiment not the consequences of that outcome.
garthog42 --
Well...I would take issue. Scientists working on the A-bomb in the US in the early forties had many different points of view.. But you can't blame Science. Blame the war, the necessities of war...and the government. Had the public known of the effort, I believe that 100% of Americans of that time would have applauded A-tests. (they were ignorant of the eventual mad arms race... -- which is entirely the fault of the governments of the world...and their conflicts.. - not scientists...)
Scientists, too, are part of a culture...and respond to cultural pressures.
Nature's secrets will all be unveiled, exploited and used for good or evil. It is up to the informed electorate to regulate purpose and use.