稀有力量：放射性药物引发核材料争夺战

Promising new radiotherapies are setting off a scramble to harvest large quantities of nuclear material from unconventional sources, discovers Mark Peplow PHOEBE WATTS FOR NEW SCIENTIST; GETTY IMAGES “THIS is Poppy,” says Howard Greenwood, proudly showing me his prize cow. In truth, though, “cow” is charming nuclear research slang. Poppy is a slim glass column filled with radioactive waste that lives not in a pasture, but in a high-security lab. Greenwood and his team here at the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) near Preston “milk” her for radioactive lead. Why engage in this ticklish business? It’s all to do with the rise of a new generation of radioactive drugs that are showing huge promise as cancer treatments. …