Radioactivity is the emission of radiation resulting from changes within the nucleus of atoms. It occurs because some atomic nuclei are unstable and they emit radiation to form new nuclei in seeking to become stable and can become new atoms. Radioactivity was first used as a term by Marie Curie. She and her husband Pierre started research into uranium compounds in 1898 and discovered two new radioactive elements – polonium (named after Madame Curie’s native country, Poland) and radium (meaning ‘giver of rays’ because its salts glowed in the dark). The Curies were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1903 for their work. Unaware of the effects of radiation, Marie Curie died in 1934 from excessive doses of radiation received during her research work. Alpha radiation is the nucleus of helium atoms. Beta radiation consists of electrons. Gamma radiation is electro-magnetic.
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