The Screwdriver Slip That Shook Los Alamos

Nuclear physics Demon core Los alamos Lab accident Manhattan project Radiation History Spongebob Plutonium Criticality

Physics Science Lab-life Research

5 months ago 12,250 views 0 shares

The Screwdriver Slip That Shook Los Alamos

nuclear-physics-memes, demon-core-memes, los-alamos-memes, lab-accident-memes, manhattan-project-memes | ScienceHumor.io

The meme references the infamous "Demon Core" incident at Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1946, physicist Louis Slotin was performing a criticality experiment on a plutonium core (nicknamed the "Demon Core" after causing a previous fatality) when his screwdriver slipped, causing a prompt critical reaction. He received a lethal dose of radiation and died nine days later.

The SpongeBob characters' expressions perfectly capture that split-second realization when you've just initiated a nuclear disaster with your hand tools. Nothing says "career-limiting move" quite like irradiating yourself and your colleagues because you decided safety protocols were more like safety suggestions.

Fun fact: Slotin was nicknamed the "chief armorer of the United States" for his work assembling cores. Turns out screwdrivers and fissile material don't mix well. Who knew?

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