1938 Meitner-Hahn paper

The 1938 paper by Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn reported the discovery of nuclear fission, the process where the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts, releasing a huge amount of energy. They were investigating uranium's behavior when it absorbed neutrons. Their findings showed that, instead of simply becoming heavier, the uranium atom could split, which contradicted previous understanding of atomic physics. This breakthrough laid the groundwork for both nuclear power and atomic weapons, significantly impacting science, energy, and geopolitics in the 20th century. Their work also highlighted the importance of collaboration in scientific research.