Chernobyl

Four decades after the Chernobyl disaster, scientists examining microscopic radioactive particles still scattered in the surrounding soil have found that some have preserved much of their original crystal structure. The finding, from a team led by Leibniz University Hannover and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, suggests at least some of the reactor debris is more chemically stable than previously believed, though researchers stress it does not mean the contamination is becoming safe.