3 ms·

> All atoms undergo radioactive decay Are you sure about that?

• baremetal 5y ago
  i guess he has never heard of a stable isotope.
  • d_tr 5y ago
    Stable isotopes decay but at much slower rates. Even protons decay.
    • addaon 5y ago
      While neutrons do decay in the standard model (half life on the order of 10 minutes, observed), protons do not decay in the standard model, nor has proton decay ever been observed -- and folks have looked.
• ChrisLomont 5y ago
  So far the isotopes called "stable isotopes" are ones with unobserved decay, and slowly over time ones that used to be called stable are being found to decay (e.g., Bismuth 209). Quantum uncertainty (and still theoretical proton decay, expected to happen, just not measured well yet) are expected to get the rest. Ultimately quantum tunneling will get them all. There is no known mechanism to prevent it.
  • kloch 5y ago
    I think the term "effectively stable" is what is meant in this context.