Marie Curie

Join Dr Sarah Quinn as she explores Marie Curie's revolutionary discoveries and their lasting impact on modern science and society. This episode examines how Marie Curie's groundbreaking research on radioactivity fundamentally changed our understanding of atomic structure and opened entirely new fields of scientific inquiry. From her humble beginnings in Warsaw to becoming the first woman to win a...

In this episode of Marie Curie, Dr Sarah Quinn explores the extensive scientific legacy left by the pioneering physicist and chemist. We examine how Marie Curie's work created a dynasty of nuclear researchers, starting with her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for discoveries in artificial radioactivity. The episode delves into the Radium Institute's role a...

In this compelling episode of Marie Curie, Dr Sarah Quinn explores the tragic story of the Radium Girls - young women who painted watch dials with radium-laced paint in the 1910s and 1920s. Following Marie Curie's discovery of radium, this glowing element became a commercial sensation, leading to widespread industrial use despite unknown health risks. The episode examines how these factory workers...

Discover Marie Curie's remarkable but often overlooked contribution to World War One medical care through her revolutionary mobile X-ray units. In this episode of the Marie Curie podcast, Dr Sarah Quinn explores how the two-time Nobel Prize winner transformed battlefield medicine by creating the 'petites Curies' – innovative mobile radiological units that brought life-saving diagnostic capabilitie...

Explore Marie Curie's historic second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911, making her the first woman to win this prestigious award and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines. This episode delves into the painstaking process of isolating pure radium, the years of meticulous laboratory work that followed Pierre Curie's death, and the personal challenges Marie faced...

In this episode of Marie Curie, Dr Sarah Quinn explores the devastating 1911 scandal that nearly destroyed Marie Curie's reputation. Despite winning her second Nobel Prize that year, Marie faced vicious press attacks over her relationship with physicist Paul Langevin. The French media, once supportive, turned xenophobic, attacking her Polish origins and questioning her scientific achievements. Thi...

In this moving episode of the Marie Curie podcast, Dr Sarah Quinn explores the challenging years following Pierre Curie's tragic death in 1906. Discover how Marie Curie became the first woman professor at the University of Paris while raising two young daughters alone and continuing her groundbreaking radioactivity research. Learn about her historic achievement of isolating pure radium, earning he...

In this compelling episode of Marie Curie, Dr Sarah Quinn explores the complex intersection of scientific triumph and personal tragedy in Marie Curie's life. We examine her historic 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, making her the first woman to receive this honor. The episode details Pierre's tragic death in 1906 and Marie's extraordinary resilienc...

Join Dr Sarah Quinn as she explores Marie Curie's extraordinary journey through the male-dominated scientific establishment of the early 1900s. This episode examines how Maria Sklodowska transformed from a struggling Polish student in Paris to becoming the first woman Nobel Prize winner and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. Discover the institutional barriers, social p...

Join Dr Sarah Quinn as she explores Marie Curie's groundbreaking discovery of polonium and radium, two elements that revolutionized modern science. This episode delves into the painstaking process behind isolating these radioactive elements from tons of pitchblende ore in a converted shed laboratory. Learn how Marie Curie's observation that pitchblende was more radioactive than pure uranium led to...

Explore Marie Curie's groundbreaking discovery of radioactivity in this captivating episode of the Marie Curie podcast. Join Dr Sarah Quinn as she uncovers the story behind one of science's most important breakthroughs, from Henri Becquerel's accidental discovery of uranium rays to Marie's years of backbreaking work in a freezing Paris shed. Learn how Marie coined the term 'radioactivity' and disc...

Explore the remarkable love story and scientific partnership between Marie and Pierre Curie in this compelling episode of the Marie Curie podcast. Host Dr Sarah Quinn delves into how their meeting in 1894 sparked both romance and revolutionary scientific discovery. Learn about their courtship through scientific discussions, their unconventional honeymoon spent cycling and discussing physics, and t...

Explore the remarkable journey of Maria Sklodowska from her birth in Russian-controlled Warsaw in 1867 to her transformation into Marie Curie, one of Paris's most celebrated scientists. This episode chronicles her early life in Poland, where political oppression and family tragedies shaped her character, through her years as a governess funding her sister's education, to her eventual arrival at th...