Introduction: A Peaceful Nuclear Universe

Many people associate the words “atomic” and “nuclear” first and foremost with the destructive force of weapons or accidents at power plants. Yet, today, there is hardly a facet of modern life that nuclear science and technology do not touch daily in some beneficial way. Whether we look to medicine or how to feed the world’s population, whether we examine a high-tech industrial facility or a simple village water supply, applications of nuclear knowledge are all around us, making life better for people.

This publication briefly portrays the peaceful ‘nuclear universe’ and the work carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the organization in the UN system responsible for accelerating and enlarging the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. The IAEA has a history stretching back four decades pursuing this important and unique mission, in promoting global security, sustainable economic and social development and the safe, efficient use of advanced science and technology.