# How Does The Nucleus Keep Together?

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pbs-space-time-7778773/how-does-the-nucleus-stay-together
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/pbs-space-time-7778773/how-does-the-nucleus-stay-together.md
Podcast: [PBS Space Time](https://stenobird.com/podcast/pbs-space-time-7778773)
Published: 2026-06-23T19:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG9385734160.mp3?updated=1778672093
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG9385734160.mp3?updated=1778672093
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pbs-space-time-7778773/episodes/how-does-the-nucleus-stay-together
Duration seconds: 1183

## Resource

Check out http://rocketmoney.com/pbsspace or scan the QR code on the screen to start managing your personal finances today. Thank you to Rocket Money for sponsoring today's video! #rocketmoney #personalfinance PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to:http://to.pbs.org/DonateSPACE Sign Up on Patreon to get access to the Space Time Discord! https://www.patreon.com/pbsspacetime Two protons next to each other in an atomic nucleus are repelling each other electromagnetically with enough force to lift a medium-sized labradoodle off the ground. Release this energy and you have, well, you have a nuclear explosion. Just as well there's an even stronger force than the electromagnetism holding our nuclei together. But it's not the strong force, as you might have imagined. At least not directly. Nuclei are held together by a quirk of nature, without which we would have no complex atoms, no chemistry, and certainly no labradoodles. Episode Companion Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsPUh22kYmNCppFZX8xlp5nrMhN_KVgQh Check out the Space Time Merch Store https://www.pbsspacetime.com/shop Sign up for the mailing list to get episode notifications and hear special announcements! https://mailchi.mp/1a6eb8f2717d/spacetime Search the Entire Space Time Library Here: https://search.pbsspacetime.com/ Hosted by Matt O'Dowd Written by Fernando Franco Félix & Matt O'Dowd Post Production by Leonardo Scholzer, Yago Ballarini, Pedro Osinski, Caique Oliveira, Adriano Leal & Stephanie Faria Directed by Andrew Kornhaber Associate Producer: Bahar Gholipour Executive Producers: Eric Brown & Andrew Kornhaber Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Cam…

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## Transcript

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