%0 Journal Article
%T The legacy of Maria Curie Sk odowska
%A Ryszard Sosnowski
%J Annales UMCS, Sectio AAA: PHYSICA
%D 2011
%I 
%R 10.2478/v10246-012-0006-5
%X Maria Sk odowska Curie left us a great legacy. Her discovery of polonium and radium was incomparably greater than the mere discovery of new elements. Its significance lay in the discovery of a new form of matter, namely radioactive one, but also in her unveiling of the internal property of its atoms. Subsequently emitted radiation went on to play the role of a "natural accelerator" for both scientific research and in medical radiotherapy. It was thanks to these discoveries that the field of nuclear physics arose just a few decades later. As importantly the work of Maria Curie Sk odowska during the Great War demonstrated how important pure scientific discovery can be for society and its welfare.
%U http://versita.metapress.com/content/838p1643n6243274/?p=3ed9403835e246789b05b650df884098&pi=5