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What is a radioisotope?

Radioisotopes are atoms that contain an unstable combination of neutrons and protons. The combination can occur naturally as in radium-226, or can be produced artificially by altering the atoms, in some cases using a cyclotron and in others, a nuclear reactor. Atoms containing this unstable combination regain stability by emitting radiation (in the form of alpha, beta and gamma rays), hence the term radioisotope.