Skip to main content

Californium-252 Stone: A myth or Misinformation? by Vincent Dania

Have you ever heard of a Californium-252 stone? You might have heard about it from a friend, a family member, or even on the news. However, the truth is that there is no such thing as a Californium-252 stone. Californium-252, also known as Cf-252, is a type of radioactive element that is not found in nature and it can only be made in a laboratory.

The process of making Cf-252 starts with taking a small amount of another element, called curium-248, which is also a radioactive element. Curium-248 is then placed into a machine called a particle accelerator. A particle accelerator is a large, powerful machine that can speed up tiny particles, like atoms, to very high speeds. Once the curium-248 atoms are inside the accelerator, they are hit by beams of high-energy protons. The protons collide with the curium-248 atoms and cause a change or transmutation in the atomic structure of the curium-248 atoms. This transmutation turns the curium-248 atoms into atoms of Cf-252.

Californium-252 is a highly radioactive substance, which means it gives off a type of energy called ionizing radiation. Because of this, it is not safe to handle or be near without special protection. That's why it is always kept in special, shielded containers, designed to protect people from being exposed to harmful radiation. These containers are made of materials that block the radiation and keep it inside.

It's worth noting that producing Cf-252 requires high technology, scientific knowledge, and safety precautions. It is only done in a few places around the world and is mostly made by government or research institutions. Furthermore, it is highly regulated due to its highly radioactive nature and can only be used in special applications, such as in medical treatments, nuclear research, and nuclear power generation.

Now, going back to the Californium-252 stone, you might be wondering how it could have a value of $27 million per gram as stated by Mr. Hamza Al-Mustapha in an interview. The truth is that it does not have any value and it doesn't exist, it's a myth. As we've discussed, Californium-252 is not found in nature and it doesn't come in a form of a stone, it's mostly found in small droplets in laboratory settings or in a metallic form such as a foil or rod.

Californium-252 is a radioactive element that is not found in nature and can only be made in a laboratory. It's highly radioactive, dangerous to handle and is only used for special applications. The idea of a Californium-252 stone is a myth and doesn't exist. It's important to be critical of any claims made and to verify their accuracy with reliable sources before spreading any information.

Comments

  1. Maife Lincoln11 January 2023 at 23:42

    Thanks for this clarification Mr. Vincent. I actually listened to that radio program on the day the claim was made. I was astounded! Glad you clarified the subject matter here! Well-done and nice rapportage!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vincent Dania14 January 2023 at 13:33

    You're welcome Maife. Thanks for finding the report informative.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Dark Web Apart from Tor

The Dark Web Apart from Tor The dark web, a subset of the broader Deep Web, is comprised of online content that is not indexed by conventional search engines and requires specialized software or permissions to access. While Tor (The Onion Router) is perhaps the most recognized darknet, there are numerous other anonymity networks, each with its own distinct features and user base (Figueras-Martín, Magán-Carrión, & Boubeta-Puig, 2022). Tor, with its onion routing system, is renowned for its ability to enable users to access websites in the dark web anonymously. However, its popularity has also attracted attention from search engines, which often block access to Tor's onion services. To circumvent these restrictions, services like Tor2web have emerged, allowing users to access Tor onion services without using the Tor Browser (Tor2web, n.d). Aside from Tor, other darknets include I2P, Freenet, ZeroNet, GNUnet, Retroshare, Urbit, and Tribler. Unlike Tor, many of these networks opera...
Post a Comment
Read more

Scientific Management

  Scientific Management Scientific management is a management theory that analyzes workflows to improve economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. It implies the use of scientific methods in making decisions and acting on organizational problems and situations. This management theory, developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, was popular in the 1880s and 1890s in U.S. manufacturing industries. While the terms “scientific management” and “Taylorism” are often treated as synonymous, a more accurate view is that Taylorism is the first form of scientific management. Taylorism is sometimes called the “classical perspective,” meaning that it is still observed for its influence but no longer practiced exclusively. Scientific management was best known from 1910 to 1920, but in the 1920s, competing management theories and methods emerged, rendering scientific management largely obsolete by the 1930s. However, many of the themes of scientific management are still seen in industrial eng...
Post a Comment
Read more

Laws Against Rape in Nigeria

The good book says, “where there is no law, there is no offence” .  In criminal law, there is a principle called Nullum crimen sine lege (Latin for "no crime without law."). It says that a person cannot or should not face criminal punishment except for an act that is criminalized by law before he/she committed it (okay, I promise this is the only legal jargon you’ll see in this article).  Amidst growing and disturbing reports of rape and other sexual and gender-based violence, especially against women and children in Nigeria, there is also growing interest in provisions of the law that provide protection to women and victims of gender-based violence. In contribution to the global awareness campaign for the protection of women from gender-based violence, it is an asset to be knowledgeable on the existing legal framework for protecting the rights of victims and survivors in search of justice. This article also serves as a warning to potential offenders, of the punishment tha...
Post a Comment
Read more