Intelligence Squared Was the Nuclear Bomb Inevitable? With Frank Close
Aug 5, 2025
In this engaging conversation, physicist Frank Close shares his expertise as a Fellow of the Royal Society and an award-winning science writer. He delves into the surprising origins of nuclear power, starting with Henri Becquerel's discovery in 1896. Close discusses the intricate journey of atomic science, highlighting the brilliance of pioneers like Rutherford and Fermi. The dialogue reveals how scientific curiosity turned into a race for nuclear weaponry during WWII, and Closely examines the moral complexities faced by scientists amid the looming threat of destruction.
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Birth of Radioactivity Discovery
- Nuclear power discovery started with accidental insights into fluorescence unrelated to nuclear physics.
- Henri Becquerel's finding of uranium's spontaneous energy emission was the birth of radioactivity discovery.
Atomic Structure Revealed by Experiments
- Early 20th-century nuclear physicists inferred atomic structure indirectly using experiments, e.g., Rutherford's gold foil.
- They deduced atoms have a massive positively charged nucleus with electrons orbiting around it.
Fermi’s Neutron Irradiation Breakthrough
- Irradiation with neutrons enabled the induction of radioactivity in elements otherwise not radioactive.
- Fermi’s neutron experiments likely initiated nuclear fission, releasing energy key to atomic bomb development.
