Of all the energy types we use, nuclear energy is one of the newest forms. Although ancient Greek philosophers first came up with the idea that all of life is composed of invisible particles called “atoms,” it wasn’t until the 18th and 19th century that scientists really started to pursue the theory. In 1904, British physicist Ernest Rutherford, the father of nuclear science, wrote “If it were ever possible to control at will the rate of disintegration of the radio elements, an enormous amount of energy could be obtained from a small amount of matter.” He was correct.