After 1945, nuclear testing filled Earth’s atmosphere with trace radiation that contaminated all newly produced steel. This means that steel made after WWII is too radioactive for use in highly sensitive equipment, like Geiger counters, space instruments, and medical scanners. Instead, scientists use “low-background steel,” forged before 1945, often salvaged from sunken warships resting on the ocean floor. It’s a strange twist of history the weapons of war now serve science and healing. | Just F

2.3M views · 576 reactions | On July 25, 1946, the first underwater nuclear explosion was conducted at a depth of 27 meters in the Bikini Atoll lagoon, shortly after the end of World War II. The over 100 indigenous residents of Bikini Atoll were relocated to other islands to facilitate the nuclear testing. | History In Pictures | Facebook