nuclear
75 Years On, the Doomsday Clock Keeps Ticking
The iconic graphic of a timepiece originated as a nuclear warning. It updates its time on Thursday amid threats like climate change and pandemics.
Neutrino Detectors Could Be Used to Spot Nuclear Rogues
In theory, the particles could reveal whether a reactor is building up plutonium for weapons. US energy experts are starting to take the idea seriously.
Are Radioactive Diamond Batteries a Cure for Nuclear Waste?
Researchers are developing a new battery powered by lab-grown gems made from reformed nuclear waste. If it works, it will last thousands of years.
Nuclear ‘Power Balls’ May Make Meltdowns a Thing of the Past
Triso particles are an alien-looking fuel with built-in safety features that will power a new generation of high-temperature reactors.
How Much You Should Worry About Tech, From AI to Hacked Nukes
Technology is changing all our lives so profoundly, so quickly, that it can be scary. We asked experts to weigh in on how stressed we should be.
How Close Is Iran to a Nuclear Weapon? Here's What We Know
Iran is no longer abiding by many of the restrictions in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, but that doesn’t mean it’s about to build a bomb, either.
Andrew Yang Wants a Thorium Reactor by 2027. Good Luck, Buddy
The presidential candidate backs a type of reactor that promises cleaner, safer nuclear energy. But it may not be the best way to ditch fossil fuels.
NASA Wants to Send Nuclear Rockets to the Moon and Mars
It’s baaaack: Nuclear propulsion, first floated in the ’60s, is hot again. President Trump’s Mars ambitions might even hinge on it.
A Strange Radioactive Cloud Likely Came From Russia
In 2017 a plume of radioactive gas wafted across Europe. A study now shows it probably stemmed from a nuclear accident in southern Russia.
The Plan to Dodge a Killer Asteroid—Maybe Even Good Ol' Bennu
Meet the asteroid-impact planners who hope to protect humans from murderous space rocks and the fate of the dinosaurs.
Trump Can’t Make a North Korea Deal on His Own
The Hanoi debacle shows that if you want to make progress with North Korea, you have to put in the work.
An Energy Evolution: From Delicious to Dirty to Almost Free
A warp-speed history of our quest for cheap energy, from prehistoric hunters to climate change.
These New Tricks Can Outsmart Deepfake Videos—for Now
We'll soon find it hard to know with our own eyes if a video is real or generated by AI, but new algorithms are staying one or two steps ahead of the fakers.
Inside the U.S. Military’s Secret Doomsday Defense
From hidden fallout shelters to remote missile sites, the United States spent the Cold War preparing for nuclear armageddon.
All the Times North Korea Promised to Denuclearize
Donald Trump got out of Kim Jong Un a promise that North Korea has already made—and broken—multiple times.
Enforcing Any North Korean Nuclear Promises Won't Be Easy
It's unclear still what the historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un might yield. But holding North Korea accountable will be tricky no matter what.
How a Uranium Hunter Sniffs Out Nuclear Weapons
Every bit of uranium ore has a chemical fingerprint specific to its source on Earth. Track the metal, and you can track the ne’er-do-well who took it.
Cosmic Rays Crash Supercomputers. Here's What to Do About It
What happens when a national laboratory’s supercomputers start glitching?
Iran Nuclear Deal's Unraveling Raises Fears of Cyberattacks
For the last three years, Iran has restrained its state-sponsored hackers from disruptive attacks on the West. That ceasefire may now be over.
Don’t Know How You’ll Respond to Nuclear War? Scientists Do
Using data from smartphones, satellites, remote sensors, and census surveys, modelers can create synthetic populations—and watch what they do in a disaster.
North Korea's Nuke Test Reveals Terrifying Capabilities
The Hermit Kingdom conducted its most powerful underground test yet, stoking tensions in an already very strained situation.
Physicists Capture the Elusive Neutrino Smacking Into an Atom
By measuring how a nucleus bounces off a neutrino, scientists crack a window into the personality of the shyest particle.
North Korea's Latest Missile Launch Hastens the Inevitable
Despite its frequent missteps, experts agree that North Korea will achieve the ability to launch a nuclear missile.