When warfare activities collide with a nuclear disaster zone things can get complicated and dangerous. Yahoo News reposted a Popular Mechanics article today, alleging evidence that Russian troops were harmed in the occupation of that site.
See other Popular Mechanics coverage on Chernobyl here.… Continue Reading →
Putin is protesting UK’s plan to send depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine. Will this spark nuclear escalation? See the article.
The Telegraph reports on growing concern about North Korea nuclear weapons.
Fox News reports North Korea is making nuclear war preparations.
Dogtime reports that Chernobyl’s dogs are genetically distinct.… Continue Reading →
The big news this week is that Donald Trump and Kim Jon Un will be meeting.
Let’s hope something good comes out of the meeting that will de-escalate the possibility of nuclear conflict.
Analysts are trying to determine if Russia is really deploying a nuclear powered cruise missile.
Also, as we approach the anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear events, Safecast is being covered by Japan Times.
And the sailors of the USS Ronald Reagan, deployed to provide relief during … Continue Reading →
The Japan Times reports recent activity on the Ruthenium 106 mystery.… Continue Reading →
Seventy two years ago today the first nuclear weapon was dropped on human beings. The debate about whether its use was justified continues. The Washington Post asks “Was it Justified or Needless” here.
The Globe and Mail interviewed one of the survivors, a Hibakusha, Setsuko Nakamura here..
A few things about nuclear weapons are not really debatable:
Health effects from exposure to low dose radiation are always difficult to assess. It has long been assumed that there is no “smoking gun” to link a particular health issue to causation when dealing with the random effects of radiation exposure (especially when there are many other environmental and genetic factors to consider). Looking at a single type of health effect that can occur from radiation exposure, Thyroid Cancer (TC), researchers at Penn State University have postulated that Radiation-induced Thyroid … Continue Reading →
Dealing with deep space radiation is going to be one of the many challenges related to future space missions. This article, published in Nature, looks at health data from the Apollo Mission Astronauts. Not a lot of data to work with, but itʻs interesting. Itʻs also covered by Observer.… Continue Reading →
A deal has been struck to decommission the PG&E reactors at Diablo Canyon. The reactors have been controversial for many years due to the close proximity of seismic fault lines. There has also been increased concern about the coastal location along the “Ring of Fire” since the tsunami generated nuclear emergencies at Fukushima Daiichi.
The deal will replace the power generated by Diablo Canyon with other renewable energy sources. Scientific American covers the story here. NRDC provides perspective here.
On … Continue Reading →
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has released a special issue on nuclear energy in the Middle East. Challenges cited include availability of water to cool reactors, politics, security, and the danger posed if materials are diverted to weapons programs.… Continue Reading →
Fortunately 2015 was a year with no major nuclear events. Let’s hope the same for 2016 and continue to watch these stories: