The Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs to recognize the limits of prediction in regard to floods and earthquakes and insist that US nuclear plants be upgraded to meet the standards for which they were originally licensed. | Continue reading
Before pressing on with Skyfall, Vladimir Putin would be well-advised to review some of the myriad problems that the United States faced in the 1950s and 1960s with its own nuclear-powered cruise missile program, Project Pluto. | Continue reading
A typhoon was coming, the fuel pump failed, they had to switch planes, things were wired incorrectly, they missed their rendezvous, they couldn’t see the primary target, they ran out of gas on the way home, and they had to crash-land. But the worst part was when the Fat Man atomi … | Continue reading
Airplanes make contrails, and contrails make global warming worse. | Continue reading
When it comes to the likelihood of life surviving long enough to develop into an intelligent form and achieve long-distance space travel, it takes a lot to stay ahead of the odds in a tough game where the house almost always wins. And self-inflicted climate change makes those odd … | Continue reading
The Department of Defense spews so much greenhouse gas every year that it would rank as the 55th worst polluter in the world if it were a country, beating out Sweden, Denmark, and Portugal, according to a new paper from Brown University’s Costs of War project. | Continue reading
The current third push for US breeder reactors, using the Versatile Test Reactor as the thin end of a larger wedge of government support, is based far less on economics or concern about nuclear waste than purely on patriotic slogans. We don’t need it. Congress should say, “No.” | Continue reading
The Navy is drafting guidelines for pilots to report encounters with unidentified aircraft. Meantime, UFO sightings by the general public are declining. | Continue reading
In this interview, journalist Adam Higginbotham reveals some of the most common misconceptions and myths about the world’s worst nuclear accident, and why he still views nuclear energy as a potential weapon against climate change. | Continue reading
In a ground-breaking piece, the New York Times reports that the federal government will no longer engage in “what scientists say is one of the most urgent jobs of climate science studies: reporting on the future effects of a rapidly warming planet and presenting a picture of what … | Continue reading
They have dubious strategic value, low chance of success, and could spark a uranium-fueled international arms race. So why does the Defense Department think putting small nuclear reactors in combat zones is a good idea? | Continue reading
Fusion still continues to need much more energy than it produces, consumes huge quantities of water, and may not be able to scale up because there may not be enough tritium. And that’s just for starters. | Continue reading
What's behind the Russian-government funded TV network RT America's frequent attacks on the new 5G cellular networks being rolled out in the United States? Russian President Vladimir Putin is a fan of 5G, after all. | Continue reading
North Korea recently tested a small ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead. These smaller, solid-fuel missiles matter because—tipped with nuclear warheads or chemical or biological weapons—they threaten South Korea as well as US troops and American citizens in the Sou … | Continue reading
A study of tiny shrimp-like creatures living at the bottom of the Mariana Trench reveals even the most remote parts of the planet bear markers of the Cold War nuclear arms race. | Continue reading
One of the key elements of any deal to denuclearize North Korea will be easing the many-layered sanctions regime that the United Nations and countries around the world have placed on the North. On paper, these sanctions impose restrictions on financial transfers, seafood imports, … | Continue reading
In Ukraine, a cyberattack can mean a freezing night without power. But in the United States, it often seems like just one more unavoidable hassle of modern life. People change a few passwords, maybe sign up for credit monitoring, and then go on with life. But for the organization … | Continue reading
To drive growth in its clean energy market and combat climate change, Pennsylvania adopted the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act in 2004.This requires energy companies to buy specific percentages of their total electricity from clean energy sources. The requirements star … | Continue reading
Overview Current Time FAQ Timeline Dashboard Multimedia Exhibit A new abnormal: It is still 2 minutes to midnight 2019 Doomsday Clock Statement Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Editor, John Mecklin From the President | Full Statement | Board Bi … | Continue reading
Perhaps the famed French entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre’s birthday, Dec. 22, is not marked on your calendar. After all, he died over 100 years ago. But Fabre arguably did more to popularize the study of insects than anyone else. He was a prolific writer on bugs and science, famous … | Continue reading
“The Woolsey Fire likely released and spread radiological and chemical contamination that was in [the Santa Susana Field Laboratory’s] soil and vegetation via smoke and ash,” said Bob Dodge, president of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles. “All wildfire smoke can be … | Continue reading
Dire as it is, the latest IPCC report largely ignores what may be the most significant climate risk—the risk of self-reinforcing climate feedbacks pushing the planet into chaos beyond human control. So says a team of climate experts, including the winner of the 1995 Nobel for his … | Continue reading
When researchers traced the illegal production of banned, ozone-destroying chemicals to a handful of refrigerator factories in China in July, it seemed like an open-and-shut case. But is it? | Continue reading
Dumbing down AI might be the best way to keep it from making humans obsolete. Doesn't that feel good? | Continue reading
Protactinium’s distinctive chemistry could make thorium reactors less resistant to nuclear weapons proliferation than their proponents believe. | Continue reading
Protactinium’s distinctive chemistry could make thorium reactors less resistant to nuclear weapons proliferation than their proponents believe. | Continue reading
The much-anticipated summit in Helsinki is over and US media and politicians are fuming over Trump’s admiration of the persuasive skills of President Putin. Even though Trump’s performance during the press conference may have played to the Russian side, it is unlikely major Russi … | Continue reading
Less than a month after the first-ever US-North Korea summit, news reports began emerging that Pyongyang is continuing to develop its nuclear program, just as it was doing before the June 12th meeting in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. This shouldn’t come as a sur … | Continue reading
Since 2000, Russian military doctrine has included the concept of “de-escalation”—the idea that, if Russia were faced with a large-scale conventional attack, it might respond with a limited nuclear strike aimed at forcing an opponent to retreat. Here's why. | Continue reading