DANGEROUS ELEMENT: The uranium for the original atomic bombs came from a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Shinkolobwe. ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/DAVID FREUNDFrom Scientific American:
Tom Zoellner's book Uranium explores how a historic mine in Africa poses an existential threat in this excerpt.
One of the most potentially dangerous places in the world is called Shinkolobwe, the name of a now-destroyed village in central Africa which took its name from a thorny fruit resembling an apple. After boiling, the outside of the fruit cools quickly but the inside is like a sponge. It retains hot water for a long time. Squeezing it results in a burn.
The word is also local slang for a man who is easygoing on the surface but becomes angry when provoked.
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