The news screenshots in this presentation are intended to give students a sense of the wide range of ways nuclear chemistry can be found in the news. Students do not need to read the article text. Optional commentary about the articles is included in the notes section for each slide. Even with the commentary, the slide presentation will take less than two minutes. You may want to replace some of news stories in this presentation with news stories about nuclear chemistry issues in your community, state, or region.

This article refers to carbon dating, a process that uses the decay of radioactive carbon to calculate the age of archeological finds. Screenshot from The New York Times Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.nytimes.com/1992/02/22/world/man-in-glacier-is-dated-to-stone-age.html

Nuclear weapons make use of the fact that nuclear reactions can release enormous amounts of energy. Screenshot from MSNBC Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30053670/

Radioactive materials are used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Screenshot from ABC News Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3965486&page=1

Screenshot from Bloomberg Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www Screenshot from Bloomberg Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/644632.html

Because of nuclear radiation’s effects on living things, including people, many people are concerned about the possibility of radiation leaks and accidents at nuclear power plants. Screenshot from the USA Today Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-05-30-nuclear-vermont_N.htm

Exposing food to radioactive materials can kill bacteria, but has other effects on the food as well. Screenshot from the Los Angeles Times Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from http://articles.latimes.com/2008/apr/11/nation/na-greens11

Radon is a radioactive element that is present as a gas in many buildings. Screenshot from the Saginaw News Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.mlive.com/news/saginaw/index.ssf/2010/10/free_radon_test_kits_available.html

Yucca Mountain is a controversial proposed site for long-term storage of nuclear waste. Screenshot from the Denver Post Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from http://www.denverpost.com/usnews/ci_10602491

Nuclear power is controversial for a lot of reasons. Screenshot from CNN Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/10/26/iran.nuclear.plant/index.html?iref=allsearch

There is a lot of interest in nuclear fusion because it produces energy without producing radioactive waste. Screenshot from NPR Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128778289

Radioactive materials are used in a variety of scientific and agricultural applications. Screenshot from Inter Press Service Web site retrieved October 31, 2010 from http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53197