A little learning is a dangerous thing - the saying could have been written to describe the story of radium. The Curies make a discovery that is heralded as a miracle cure and people go crazy for radium-enhanced beauty creams promising that special healthy glow, and radioactive drinks guaranteed to supply “infinite energy”. It makes you wonder what naive practices we are indulging in now (Historic blunder, page 5). Scientists are variously heroes and villains in real life, which the world of the movies both reflects and dictates (page 12).

Joyce Arnold