Scientists have observed a brand-new and exotic atomic nucleus: aluminium-20. Unlike anything seen before, it decays through ...

A newly discovered aluminium isotope rapidly self-destructs by ejecting three protons in a rare sequence — shaking up our understanding of atomic decay.

Physicists from the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have reported the first observation and spectroscopy of aluminium-20, a ...

The amount of time it takes for half of a radioactive tracer to decay is called its half-life. Tl-201 has a half-life of about 3 days, whereas Tc-99 has a half-life of about 6 hours.

Breathing in radon can be dangerous. Its radioactive particles decay in the lungs, releasing small bursts of radiation. Research shows this can damage lung tissue and cause lung cancer.

How to date rock Dating rocks involves using radiometric techniques that harness the natural and spontaneous radioactive decay of certain elements in the rock, which acts as a type of clock.