Fusion Rockets Could Theoretically Cut Our Travel Time to Mars in Half. This U.K. Startup Wants to Give It a Try
The company’s ambitious new Sunbird design aims to harness nuclear fusion in space, despite the fact that commercializing such energy on Earth remains a faraway dream
When Russian Radar Mistook a Norwegian Scientific Rocket for a U.S. Missile, the World Narrowly Avoided Nuclear War
The Norwegian rocket incident, which took place on this day in 1995, marked the only known activation of a nuclear briefcase in response to a possible attack
The Enduring Mystery of a Plane That Vanished in the Icy Canadian Wilderness With 44 People On Board
Seventy-five years ago, a Douglas C-54D Skymaster disappeared en route from Alaska to Montana. No trace of its crew and passengers, including a pregnant mother and her young son, has ever been found
On This Day in 1951, Four Illuminated Lightbulbs in Idaho Were Evidence of the First Time a Nuclear Power Plant Generated Electricity
Although it was just a byproduct of developing a new type of reactor, the generation of electricity from nuclear energy signaled a bright future ahead
Visions of Nuclear-Powered Cars Captivated Cold War America, but the Technology Never Really Worked
From the Ford Nucleon to the Studebaker-Packard Astral, these vehicles failed to progress past the prototype stage in the 1950s and 1960s
You Can Own a Rare Nuclear Bunker Built in England in the 1950s
The underground hideout, which will go to auction this month, was designed to shelter three people for two weeks in the event of an attack
The Long, Strange History of Teflon, the Indestructible Product Nothing Seems to Stick to
Chemists accidentally discovered the material in 1938, and since then it has been used for everything from helping to create the first atomic bomb to keeping your eggs from sticking to your frying pan
Untold Stories of American History
The Town That Kept Its Nuclear Bunker a Secret for Three Decades
The people of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, helped keep the Greenbrier resort’s bunker—designed to hold the entirety of Congress—hidden from 1958 to 1992
‘Oppenheimer’ Opens in Japan Eight Months After Worldwide Release
The acclaimed biopic of the Manhattan Project’s leader has been met with mixed reviews by Japanese audiences
Manhattan Project Report Signed by J. Robert Oppenheimer Sells at Auction
The document was “likely the very first publicly available report on the creation of the bomb,” according to RR Auction
How the Atomic Bomb Set Brothers Robert and Frank Oppenheimer on Diverging Paths
For one of them, the story ended with a mission to bring science to the public
Doomsday Clock Stays at 90 Seconds to Midnight Amid Climate Change, War and A.I.
For the second year in a row, the clock is the nearest it has ever been to signaling our total annihilation
Oppenheimer Has a Long History On Screen, Including the Time the Nuclear Physicist Played Himself
Now with 13 Academy Award nominations to its credit, the blockbuster film comes after nearly eight decades of mythologizing the father of the atomic bomb
Our Top Ten Stories of 2023
From the world’s oldest dog to the real history behind “Oppenheimer,” these were the magazine’s most-read articles of the year
Why Germany’s Wild Boars Are Radioactive
Fallout from nuclear tests conducted in the mid-20th century may contribute to the high levels of radiation seen in the animals today, a new study finds
The Baseball Player-Turned-Spy Who Went Undercover to Assassinate the Nazis’ Top Nuclear Scientist
During World War II, the OSS sent Moe Berg to Europe, where he gathered intel on Germany’s efforts to build an atomic bomb
Turtle Shells Keep a Record of Humans’ Nuclear History
Scientists can measure uranium isotopes in tortoise and turtle shells to understand the environmental impact of past nuclear events, a new study reports
Japan Begins Release of Treated Nuclear Wastewater Into the Pacific Ocean
Twelve years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the move is a polarizing step toward decommissioning the defunct power plant
Scientists Repeat Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough in a Step Toward More Clean Energy
Still, nuclear fusion power plants are likely decades away and may come too late to play a role in addressing climate change
The Real History Behind Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’
The “father of the atomic bomb” has long been misunderstood. Will the new film finally get J. Robert Oppenheimer right?
Page 1 of 5