'Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.' - Chemist and physicist Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)

- Actress Agnes Moorehead (1900–1974)

-Frances Perkins (1880-1965), first female member of US Cabinet

"The scientific man does not aim at an immediate result ... His duty is to lay the foundation for those who are to come, and point the way."

- Albert Einstein

- Marine biologist and environmentalist Rachel Carson (1907-1964)

-Mary Schmich (1953-present), a columnist for the Chicago Tribune

Philosophers often argue the counterintuitive view that there's actually nothing to fear about death. How do they come to this attitude of acceptance toward fate? This video articulates the views on death from Socrates, Epicurus, and Zhuangzi in a breezy, digestible way.

Some of Marie Curie's family heirlooms were radioactive and destroyed. Marie and Pierre Curie are entombed in lead coffins to block radiation.

"If I could remember the name of all these particles, I'd be a botanist."

- Chef Julia Child (1912-2004)

- Pablo Picasso

- Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury

Particularly at the frontiers, investigations conducted based on established knowledge can provide unexpected results. This opens the door to revising existing models, inspiring new lines of research, and ultimately leading to better future comprehension. For instance, experiments on the speed of light and the expansion of the universe yielded then-confusing data that led to revolutionary insights.

- Actress Betty White (1922-2021)

- Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)

- Poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

- Bobby Kennedy

- Author Jacqueline Susann (1918-1974)

- Inventor Thomas Edison (1847 - 1931)

Quantum mechanics may not immediately grasped, but it can be slowly understood through the experiments and discussions offered here by writer Dr. Miguel F. Morales. A professor of physics at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Morales makes understanding the basics of quantum mechanics fun with a promised "no math" approach.

-Poet Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Alongside his brother, he studied electric fields in crystals and the magnetic properties of substances, which required the construction of delicate electrometers. He would use this apparatus with Marie Curie to measure radioactive emissions and the presence of undiscovered radioactive elements.

The discovery continued the family's Nobel legacy by winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 alongside her husband, Frederic Joliot. Their work laid the foundation for the use of radioisotopes in medicine, agriculture, and energy production.

- Author James Baldwin (1924–1987)

- Apple CEO Tim Cook (1960 - present)

Their discoveries of polonium and radium involved ongoing exposure to radioactive materials before shielding technology was developed. Their notebooks, furniture, and other belongings remain radioactive today, requiring researchers to sign a waiver and wear protective clothing to access.

- Radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi

Change and uncertainty induce stress, but reframing the unknown into an opportunity for discovery has tangible benefits. Approaching change with curiosity enhances activity in the hippocampus and promotes neuroplasticity, promoting learning and serving as a barrier against anxiety. A neuroscientist explains how embracing the unknown, trying small experiments, and other techniques build curiosity.

- Teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe (1948-1986)

Ionizing radiation produced by elements such as uranium, polonium, and radium can damage living things, but the trace amounts found in the museum objects that Marie Curie once touched have been largely decontaminated, with more dangerous items stored in protective, lead-lined containers.

- Artist Salvador Dalí (1904-1989)

- Author Malcolm Gladwell (1963 - present)

“Three Secrets to Success: Be willing to learn new things. Be able to assimilate new information quickly. Be able to get along with and work with other people.”

Marie Curie and her husband isolated polonium and radium despite poor lab conditions and financial hardship. President Harding, on behalf of the women of America, presented her with one gram of radium in 1921 in recognition of her service to science.

German physicist Max Planck publishes his groundbreaking study of the effect of radiation on a “blackbody” substance, and the quantum theory of modern physics

Those involved in the predecessor of the modern scientific discipline engaged in experimentation to develop recipes that would transform ordinary matter into gold and to create medicines, cosmetics, dyes, and alloys. Over the course of centuries, scientists identified unique elements, organized them based on their properties in the periodic table, and eventually developed the technology to discover the internal structure of atoms.

Is the universe made up of a continuous substance, or a finite amount of tiny, indivisible atoms? The atomic hypothesis, largely vindicated in the 20th century, was forgotten for nearly 2,000 years after first being formulated by the Greek philosopher Democritus. Learn more about the theory and its implications for science and human life with this reflective essay.

"Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time."

- Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (1930-present)