This gorgeous metal is radioactive (1 Viewer)

[Ahsoka]

This is bismuth. When you melt it and then rapidly cool it, you get gorgeous metal patterns like this. It is also radioactive.

However, while that might sound scary, it’s nothing to worry about. The radioactive half-life (time it takes for half the atoms to decay) is so incredibly long that scientists only managed to discover the radioactivity after 100+ years of trying. As a reference, half-lives of commonly used radioactive isotopes range from times like 13 seconds (Krypton-81m) to 4.4 billion years (Uranium-238).

Bismuth, on the other hand, has a half life of
approximately 2.01×10^19 years, or about 20 quintillion years. That’s more than a billion times longer than the current estimated age of the universe. It’s also drastically longer than the half-lives of carbon-14 (5,370) or potassium-40 (1.2 billion years), which are just two radioactive isotopes present in human flesh

 

[Ahsoka]

General facts:
@athenarose @Lexie @Nyaz @Dreamer_of_Songs @Michael @Nina @pinkmelodies @velvet @A_Vow_of_Silence @ChuuAntics @Moguri @rayy @Harmony_Starz @BadderLove1015

 

[gone4good]

shoot I was only aware of Unobtanium, too many movie nights

 

[dark_tranquility]

lives longer than people

 

[uran]

It looks so cool. I love all the shapes and its colour is magnificent

 

[karenina]

Wow, such a unique pattern and color, I find it to be super pretty!

 

[ChiaraStar169]

fascinating!

 

[snsd2beg]

Is it bad I instantly knew what this was because of Steven Universe? By the picture, I mean. I didn't know it was radioactive

 

[Moguri]

it still sounds scary..

 

[Ahsoka]

it still sounds scary..

If the radioactivity is the worrying part, you probably don’t want to ever be near a banana. Bananas have potassium-40, which has a long half life compared to most radioactive stuff, but compared to bismuth the half life of potassium-40 is extremely quick Plus all the other stuff you’re around that have quick half lives compared to bismuth, like other people.

 

[Moguri]

If the radioactivity is the worrying part, you probably don’t want to ever be near a banana. Bananas have potassium-40, which has a long half life compared to most radioactive stuff, but compared to bismuth the half life of potassium-40 is extremely quick Plus all the other stuff you’re around that have quick half lives compared to bismuth, like other people.

no more bananas