Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Radiation Absorbing Mineral Found In the Arctic

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the the-power-of-suck dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A mineral has recently been found that exhibits the astounding property of being able to remove radiation from water-based solutions. 'After coming into contact with the mineral, radioactive water becomes completely safe. Had this mineral been available to physicists after the Chernobyl or Three Mile Island disasters, the consequences might have been very different, as both accidents resulted in contamination from radioactive water.' Also, the article notes that although only grams of the material have been found, tons of it are needed; they are confident they could artificially reproduce it."

26 of 351 comments (clear)

  1. Space Travel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    WOW!! Could they use this mineral on spacecraft to absorb radiation in space to make it safe for long-distance space travelers??? That is just what we need!

    1. Re:Space Travel by dstiggy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Exactly it's Trellium D! Man why didn't I think of that before... Now wait was that radiation or did it absorb spacial anomalies? Damn Star Trek!

  2. Eco-friendly nukes by InvisblePinkUnicorn · · Score: 3, Funny

    I can see it now... the President holds a conference praising the development of eco-friendly nukes that wipe out entire populations of men, women, and children, but that leave the surviving ecosystem safe from continued exposure. Red is the new Green!

  3. Is the ATLANTUS OUTPOST near buy by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 2, Funny

    and are there any ZPM's left?

  4. In Russia... by krgallagher · · Score: 3, Funny
    As I read the article, I could not help but hear a Russian accent in my head. Especially on sentences like "Every year ten new minerals are discovered in the Arctic Circle, and one third of all worldwide mineral discoveries are on the Kolsky Peninsula." It has a distinctly cold war era sound to it. So...

    In Russia radiation absorbs minerals from you!

    --

    Insert Generic Sig Here:

  5. 27-4 sounds like by click2005 · · Score: 4, Funny

    a russian convenience store.

    --
    I am a free slashdotter. I will not be modded, blogged, DRM'd, patented, podcasted or RFID'd. My life is my own.
  6. so. . . by jppatton1 · · Score: 2, Funny

    In Soviet Russia. . .um. . . crap. I got nothing. Sorry. I'm new here.

  7. Re:Bullshit by lahi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Indeed. It's way out on the taurokoprometric scale. If only they could find a bullshit-absorbing mineral.

    -Lasse

  8. I know the mineral - it's LEAD! by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Funny

    I know the mineral - it's LEAD! Yes, just grind it up into a fine powder and sprinkle it into your radioactive brew: even the glowing-est cup of water will be safe to drink again.

  9. Re:Bullshit by JonTurner · · Score: 5, Funny

    >>If only they could find a bullshit-absorbing mineral.

    Slashdotium 404. A rare, low-energy isotope of unobtanium. A naturally occurring byproduct of cheetos, Jolt and bad upbringing, frequently found in mother's basements and video arcades it is of no known use.

  10. Re:Where does it go? by andrewd18 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nah, you see...there's another mineral out there too. It is capable of absorbing radiation from this material. See? Problem solved! Silly boy!
    I believe they call it VOOM.
  11. Serious business down in the lab... by weirdcrashingnoises · · Score: 2, Funny

    Jim: Hey Earl, we got that new mineral, what are we ganna do with it?

    Earl: How bout we put some in that cup of radioactive water?

    Jim: Wow, how about that! It's not radioactive anymore! *starts to hand earl the water*

    Earl: Ha ha, nice try Jim, I've fallen for that one before!

    --
    sigs... don't talk to me about sigs....
  12. Re:correct me if I'm wrong by no_pets · · Score: 2, Funny

    The best part about this comment is the fact that the STP nuclear plant in south Texas is well-known for its gator-infested cooling pool. It's imperative that more of this mineral be found to prevent these gators from mutating.
    --
    "A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." - Shepard Book Quoting Malcolm Reynolds
  13. Re:correct me if I'm wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    This would have changed the situation at TMI significantly. Instead of 0 deaths due to radiation, you would have only a thousandth the deaths, maybe even only a millionth. Let me grab my calculator...resulting in 0 deaths.

  14. Re:correct me if I'm wrong by 2names · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one welcome our new radioactive, reptilian overlords.

    *ducks*

    --
    "I'm just here to regulate funkiness."
  15. Re:Light on details by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    How it works.....

    Star Trek answer... it reverses the polarity on the main deflector dish repelling the radioactive elements.
    Stargate answer... magnets.
    Babylon 5 answer... the shadows heal you, if you wear a cloak n peel your skin.
    Doctor Who answer... the mineral is the fossilized ambassadors of death.

  16. Re:Bullshit by cmdr_beeftaco · · Score: 4, Funny

    I think Slashdotium 404 is an isotope of Virginium.

  17. Re:correct me if I'm wrong by p0tat03 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, and I wouldn't ever take a shower if I were you,

    I'm on Slashdot, that advice is irrelevant.

  18. Small Typo in Article by DieByWire · · Score: 5, Funny

    After coming into contact with the mineral, radioactive water becomes completely safe.

    It was supposed to say, 'Ten half-lives after coming into contact with the mineral, radioactive water becomes completely safe.'

    --
    Never shake hands with a man you meet in a fertility clinic.
  19. You insensitive clod! by Poingggg · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...I wouldn't ever take a shower if I were you, you might slip and hit your head against the tub...

    I just died that way!

    --
    What person will donate an airborne act of love?
    1. Re:You insensitive clod! by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I just died that way! You know you're a geek when the first thing you do after dying is post on Slashdot to tell everyone about it.
      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    2. Re:You insensitive clod! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Too bad--had you hit the toilet, you might have invented this snazzy flux capacitor like me!

    3. Re:You insensitive clod! by mindwhip · · Score: 2, Funny

      Depends on your karma.

      --
      [The Universe] has gone offline.
  20. Wait a second there, buster! by A+nonymous+Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one welcome our new radioactive, reptilian overlords.

    Good so far.

    *ducks*

    But that's pushing it. Ducks are birds, and birds are the last remnant dinosaurs, and dinosaurs and reptiles are related, but that doesn't mean ducks are reptiles.

    --
    Infuriate left and right
  21. Re:correct me if I'm wrong by davester666 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quick, start mining the arctic for this material. And if you happen to come across oil, it's a bonus!

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  22. Re:You're not wrong, you're an idiot! by Synchis · · Score: 4, Funny

    "(Score:0, Insightful)"...

    Only on Slashdot...

    --
    Thomas A. Knight
    Author of The Time Weaver