In Our Time | Lise Meitner | BBC Radio

Описание: Join Melvyn Bragg and leading historians of science as they explore the extraordinary life and achievements of Lise Meitner — one of the most important physicists of the 20th century, whose work helped lead to the discovery of nuclear fission.

Born in Vienna in 1878, Meitner became a pioneer in radioactivity and nuclear physics at a time when women were rarely accepted in academic science.
Working alongside Otto Hahn and other leading researchers in Berlin, she made foundational contributions to atomic theory — yet her role in the discovery of nuclear fission was overshadowed, culminating in Hahn alone receiving the 1944 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

This episode examines Meitner’s scientific brilliance, her forced exile during the rise of Nazism, and her complex position in the history of physics.

🎧 In this episode, the panel discusses:

Lise Meitner’s early life, education, and scientific beginnings

Her groundbreaking work in radioactivity and nuclear processes

The partnership with Otto Hahn and their decades of collaboration

The discovery of nuclear fission — and Meitner’s decisive theoretical explanation

Why she was excluded from the Nobel Prize

Her moral stance on nuclear weapons and her scientific legacy

How her contributions have been reassessed in modern scholarship

Rich, reflective, and grounded in expert research, this discussion highlights Meitner’s profound impact on physics and her enduring significance as a scientist who reshaped our understanding of the atom.

📻 About In Our Time:
Hosted by Melvyn Bragg, In Our Time on BBC Radio 4 is renowned for its deep, accessible academic conversations across science, history, philosophy, and culture.
Each episode brings together specialists who illuminate complex subjects with clarity and insight.

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