All posts tagged: Nuclear

Why Trump’s nuclear talks with Iran could be far more successful than Biden’s

Why Trump’s nuclear talks with Iran could be far more successful than Biden’s

Published by Sam

This combination of pictures created on April 09, 2025 shows US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff after a meeting with Russian officials at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18, 2025 (L); and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaking to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on March 7, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Amer Hilabi | AFP | Getty Images DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Talks between U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and Iran’s government on a potential renewed nuclear agreement began on a positive note over the weekend, representatives of both countries said, despite enduring sticking points and a lack of clarity on the specific conditions held by each side. Notably, there was more optimism toward a deal and overall communication between the longtime adversaries. Delegates from the U.S. and Iran agreed to hold more talks next week in Rome, while Iran’s Foreign Affairs Ministry described the negotiations of Saturday as having taken place in a “constructive atmosphere and based on mutual respect.” This highlights the gaping difference …

First US use of enriched nuclear fuel above 5%

First US use of enriched nuclear fuel above 5%

Published by skeptic

Southern Nuclear has taken a bold step forward in nuclear innovation by becoming the first US company to load enriched nuclear fuel exceeding 5% uranium-235 into a commercial reactor for testing. This milestone, achieved at the Vogtle Unit 2 reactor in Waynesboro, Georgia, marks a significant advancement in nuclear energy technology and could pave the way for more efficient, powerful, and sustainable power generation. Commenting on the development, Pete Sena, Southern Nuclear Chairman, President and CEO, said: “This achievement is a significant step forward for not only the resiliency of the entire US operating fleet, but future nuclear technologies. “Our goal is to operate our units for longer periods with higher output, and with higher enriched fuel, we’re even better positioned to meet the growing energy demands of the state of Georgia.” Introducing higher enriched nuclear fuel The newly introduced fuel assemblies utilise uranium enriched up to 6 weight percent in uranium-235, a crucial fissile isotope that drives energy production in nuclear reactors. Traditional US commercial reactors typically operate using fuel enriched between 3% and 5%. …

This Is What a Nuclear Strike Would Feel Like: A Precise Simulation

This Is What a Nuclear Strike Would Feel Like: A Precise Simulation

Published by José

Though cer­tain gen­er­a­tions may have grown up trained to take cov­er under their class­room desks in the case of a nuclear show­down between the Unit­ed States and the Sovi­et Union, few of us today can believe that we’d stand much chance if we found our­selves any­where near a det­o­nat­ed mis­sile. Still, the prob­a­ble effects of a nuclear blast do bear repeat­ing, which the New York Times video above does not just con­vey ver­bal­ly but also visu­al­ly, deriv­ing its infor­ma­tion “from inter­views of mil­i­tary offi­cials and com­put­er sci­en­tists who say we’re speed­ing toward the next nuclear arms race.” The last nuclear arms race may have been bad enough, but the rel­e­vant tech­nolo­gies have great­ly advanced since the Cold War — which, with the last major arms treaty between the U.S. and Rus­sia set to expire with­in a year, looks set to re-open. Don’t both­er wor­ry­ing about a whole arse­nal: just one mis­sile is enough to do much more dam­age than you’re prob­a­bly imag­in­ing. That’s the sce­nario envi­sioned in the video: “trav­el­ing at blis­ter­ing speeds,” the nuke …

Researchers innovate mercury-free nuclear fusion fuel production

Researchers innovate mercury-free nuclear fusion fuel production

Published by skeptic

The pursuit of nuclear fusion as a limitless and sustainable energy source has taken a significant leap forward with a new breakthrough in lithium-6 extraction. Scientists have developed a mercury-free method to isolate lithium-6, a crucial component in nuclear fusion fuel. This innovation eliminates the need for hazardous mercury-based processes while maintaining efficiency, addressing a long-standing challenge in fusion energy research. With this development, the path to commercial fusion power is becoming clearer, offering hope for a cleaner and more sustainable future. The need for lithium-6 in nuclear fusion Nuclear fusion, the process that powers the Sun, is widely considered the future of clean and virtually limitless energy. However, one of the major challenges in achieving practical fusion energy lies in sourcing lithium-6, a key ingredient in the fusion reaction. Traditional methods for isolating lithium-6 have relied on the COLEX process, which uses liquid mercury – a highly toxic substance banned in the US since 1963 due to environmental and health concerns. Since the ban, US researchers have depended on dwindling reserves of lithium-6 from …

Iran says won't negotiate under 'intimidation' as Trump ramps up pressure on nuclear program

Iran says won't negotiate under 'intimidation' as Trump ramps up pressure on nuclear program

Published by Sam

Iran said Monday it would not negotiate under “intimidation”, after US President Donald Trump sought to ratchet up pressure on Tehran by ending a sanctions waiver that had allowed Iraq to buy electricity from its Shiite neighbour. Iran’s mission to the United Nations had indicated Sunday that Tehran might be open to talks aimed at addressing US concerns about the potential militarisation of its nuclear programme — though not to ending the program completely. Here is the analysis of Saeed Azimi, France 24 correspondent in Tehran. Source link

Government Fires Specialists Without Realizing They Were in Charge of Nuclear Bombs, Then Panics and Tries to Rehire Them

Government Fires Specialists Without Realizing They Were in Charge of Nuclear Bombs, Then Panics and Tries to Rehire Them

Published by José

Paging Dr. Strangelove We’ve all made mistakes before. Maybe we did something in the heat of the moment, or said something we couldn’t take back. Point is, it happens, and that’s okay — because however bad our mistakes were, at least they didn’t risk spelling doom for the entire human race. Elon Musk, the richest man in the history of currency, is in the news yet again — is he ever not now? — for spearheading a massive round of government layoffs. This wave, carried out over Thursday and Friday, targeted recent hires across the CDC, Small Business Administration, Homeland Security, Veteran’s Affairs, Department of Education, and crucially, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The NNSA is a little-known group charged with building, designing, and organizing the US Nuclear arsenal — at one time the largest in the world, now said to be a close second to Russia. It’s the kind of agency you hope not to read about in the news. The whole “nuclear” part evidently wasn’t enough to deter Musk and his DOGE boys from sending between 300 …

Neutron ‘starquake’ discovery could revolutionize nuclear physics

Neutron ‘starquake’ discovery could revolutionize nuclear physics

Published by skeptic

Neutron stars, the collapsed remnants of massive stars, hold the densest matter in the universe. These cosmic objects are formed when a star runs out of fuel and collapses under its own gravity, leaving behind a dense core packed with protons and neutrons. Because their internal conditions are impossible to replicate on Earth, studying them could reveal fundamental insights into nuclear physics. New research led by scientists at the University of Bath suggests that “starquakes”—vibrations and flares within neutron stars—could offer a powerful way to investigate the extreme nuclear matter inside them. By analyzing these stellar tremors, physicists may be able to test a key nuclear theory called Chiral Effective Field Theory (χEFT), which describes how nuclear forces behave under extreme conditions. “Our findings promise to add to, or change, the tools used by nuclear physicists, bringing astronomy and nuclear physics closer together,” said lead author Dr. Duncan Neill, a postdoctoral researcher at Bath. The study, published in Physical Review C, could reshape how scientists understand neutron stars, nuclear interactions, and even the universe itself. …

Nuclear War – A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

Nuclear War – A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen

Published by skeptic

A Ticking Clock Towards Catastrophe In the annals of human history, few technological developments have cast as long and ominous a shadow as nuclear weapons. Their very existence presents an existential threat to civilization itself, a Sword of Damocles perpetually suspended over humanity’s collective head. It is into this realm of potential annihilation that acclaimed investigative journalist Annie Jacobsen plunges headlong in her latest work, “Nuclear War: A Scenario.” With the meticulous attention to detail and gripping narrative style that have become her hallmarks, Jacobsen constructs a harrowing minute-by-minute account of how a nuclear exchange might unfold. Drawing on extensive interviews with military officials, weapons designers, and policy experts, she paints a vivid and terrifying picture of the intricate systems designed to prevent such a catastrophe – and how quickly they could unravel. A Masterclass in Investigative Journalism Jacobsen, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, brings her considerable talents as a researcher and storyteller to bear on this most consequential of subjects. As in her previous works like “Area 51” and “Operation Paperclip,” she demonstrates an uncanny …

Trump’s Tariffs Poised to Wreck Nuclear Power

Trump’s Tariffs Poised to Wreck Nuclear Power

Published by José

This really is the dumbest trade war ever. Enemy Mine If Donald Trump makes good on his campaign promise to impose tariffs on Canadian energy imports — now pushed back a month, but still a looming threat — it stands to devastate the nuclear energy market. As Reuters reports, the Canadian mining companies that supplied more than a quarter of the United States’ uranium needs in 2023 — which fuels our nuclear energy plants and, to a lesser extent, our scientific research and industrial manufacturing — are already feeling the brunt of Trump’s tariff threats. Though the president included a “carve-out” for Canadian oil, uranium, coal, electricity, and natural gas, those important exports would still be taxed an additional 10 percent. Look no further than the markets; stocks for Cameco, one of Canada’s largest uranium miners, slumped even further today after plunging 13 percent in the wake of DeepSeek’s insistence that the mineral won’t be that necessary for powering its AI centers. While larger miners like Cameco would likely be able to weather this storm, experts are …

A vision for nuclear technology in the low-carbon energy transition

A vision for nuclear technology in the low-carbon energy transition

Published by skeptic

In his article, Bodel emphasises that the only currently scalable low-carbon energy solutions available to the UK are wind, solar, and nuclear technology. However, to ensure energy security and grid stability, a flexible backup is essential—one that can compensate for fluctuations in renewable energy production. While nuclear power plants are highly efficient and produce minimal carbon emissions, Dr Bodel highlights that their economic feasibility depends on operating at full capacity around the clock. Keeping them idle when demand is low is not financially viable. To address this challenge, he suggests integrating hydrogen production with nuclear energy, providing a dynamic solution to meet both electricity and hydrogen demands. Bridging the energy gap with hydrogen production Dr Bodel explains that renewable sources like wind and solar are intermittent – when the wind slows or the Sun sets, power generation drops. To maintain a stable electricity supply, an alternative energy source must step in. Traditionally, gas-fired power plants have served this role, but they contribute to carbon emissions, counteracting the goal of net-zero energy. In his analysis, Dr …