Chapter 12 covered the political effects of the elements. Kean started off with Marie Curie's research on uranium and her discovery of the elements polonium (which was named after her and radium. He then mentions György Hevesy who discovered elemental tracers and element 72, hafnium, with the help or Dirk Coster. Marie Curie died, however, due to poisoning.
Next, he explains Lise Meitner's discovery of protactinium. Kean describes how Meitner's work was never rewarded with a Noble Prize, but instead got meitnerium, element 109, named in her honour. The reason why she wasn't rewarded was because her partner, who reluctantly put all the work under his name after women were banned in Germany in working in labs.
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