this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago

They arrested this century's Oppenheimer but they won't arrest the CEOs of oil companies? The hypocrisy on display!

[–] [email protected] 181 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (4 children)

I know of a hookup. Meet the Libyans in the Twin Pines Mall parking lot after hours. Be sure to wear a bullet proof vest.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Look, I'm sure in the year 1985 you can get plutonium at the local drug store, but in 1955 it's a bit hard to come by!

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[–] [email protected] 53 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

That's the Lone Pine mall. Some crazy looking car took out the other pine in 1955, no doubt driven by a drunk spaceman!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 5 days ago (6 children)

Old man Peabody owned all of this. He had this crazy idea about breeding Pine Trees…

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 days ago

you should probably run for it, Marty.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Well that's stupid. In a couple of billion years he'll have to get more!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

if he had astatine, more like 20 mins

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Wake me up when he has his vial of Francium ready.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago

Oh don't worry, it will wake up the whole neighborhood.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 4 days ago (1 children)

God forbid men have hobbies smdh

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Gentlemen, this is democracy manifest.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

But what is the charge? Collecting the elements of a succulent periodic table?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY PLUTONIUM!

[–] [email protected] 75 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

This is the metal region, the non metal region, the metalloids are here and over here are the felonies.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 days ago (2 children)

They call them noble gasses, but I've never seen them owning land or anything that is typical of nobility.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 4 days ago (1 children)

It's because they don't do any fucking work

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 days ago

It's not their fault. They are full and content!

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 days ago

This nerd did nothing wrong, now they're training him to be a hardened criminal

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Too bad it's not 1985. I heard in 1985 it would be available in every corner drugstore.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Nope. In 1985, your best bet for plutonium was connections from Libya. A guy named Doc Brown was my hookup, had a really nice DeLorean he was working on for a project of his...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

How was he planning to get Oganesson?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 days ago

Maybe he was oganessing a solution

[–] [email protected] 53 points 5 days ago (2 children)

pretty sure.... there's nothing illegal about buying plutonium for a elements collection. Pretty sure, also there's a lab supply somewhere in australia that keeps the samples in stock.

Also pretty the russians are having a pretty decent sale on polonium, if you're looking for that.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Australia has a treaty that says ALL plutonium in the country must be documented and accounted for. The country is not allowed more than 1KG in total

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 days ago (3 children)

The country is not allowed more than 1KG in total

How does that work?

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 5 days ago (12 children)

Probably depends on how much they tried to import. 1mg is probably no big deal, but 1Mg would be.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I have to assume he's working backwards, because if he'd gotten to Astatine we'd know.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

I doubt he's working backwards. Those heavier elements decay before you get halfway through blinking. And most of them kill while doing it.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Going down a Wikipedia Plutonium rabbit hole, I just realized that the Metropolis algorithm was named after a real person.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Dr. Metropolis sounds like a superhero

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 days ago

Spoliers: Dr. Metropolis is revealed to be a villain that was working against the heroes the whole time.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 days ago

It's Dr Manhattan at home

[–] [email protected] 30 points 5 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Here is how you get your hands on plutonium legally.

In both cases it may still be illegal to smuggle into the country and therefor you will need a local supplier after obtaining the proper license. The permit process asks you what amounts you will obtain and who the supplier will be even before permission is issued. The easiest and least harmful would likely be an ore containing trace amounts of a safer isotope. For higher purity you would need a refined product likely only available at government facilities and contractors.

Ever since the Nuclear Boyscout incident it's been a lot harder to obtain radioactive elements without tons of paperwork and red tape, and for good reasons.

In Australia:

Permit to Possess Nuclear Material LINK HERE

in the USA:

Get a certificate to use depleted uranium under a general license LINK HERE

EDIT: You WILL have a surprise inspection and tbey WILL confiscate harmful materials if you don't have a license and specific need for them, eg polonium.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago

Oh shit, this guy is trying to summon captain planet. He can't be allowed to succeed.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 days ago

I was importing plutonium for a friend I promise!

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