nuclear

In 1950 two scientists wondered if possible a nuclear bomb of 10 gigatons. Its results are hidden locked up

by

On October 30, 1961, a Soviet bomber furrowed the skies of the Arctic towards Novaya Zemlya. Under his fuselage he hung an artifact the size of a bus: an unprecedented nuclear pump. At 11:32, the called TSAR pump He released. A parachute slowed its fall, allowing the plane to move away. Then, a detonation illuminated the sky with a fireball of almost 10 kilometers in diameter and a fungus -shaped cloud that amounted to more than 65 kilometers. The show was surreal: the pump, With 50 megatones explosive (more than 3,300 times that of Hiroshima), became a symbol of the Nuclear madness. But it could be much worse. The awakening of a new era. With the atomic bombardment of Hiroshima and Nagasaki In August 1945, the world changed irreversibly. Those bombs, 16 and 21 kilotons respectively, they marked the beginning of the destructive power without a paragon of Nuclear weapons. However, despite their fearsome capacity, these weapons were only the first step towards a much more sinister technological escalation. What would later transcend the most reckless imagination. The most powerful pump ever detonated would be That Soviet tsar of 50 megatones, although designed to reach 100. However, the most disturbing thing is that this was not the summit. In hidden, the United States had still planned More huge. The “Super” concept. Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs were based In fission: A chain reaction in which heavy nuclei are divided releasing energy. But as we said, in parallel to their development, some scientists imagined a second stage: The fusion. This implied union of light nuclei (as deuterium and tritium) to form a heavier one, releasing even more energy. It happens that this reaction required an initial fission explosion to activate, which would give rise to the concept of the Hydrogen pumps. In the 1940s they were just a theoretical speculation … but everything changed very soon. Photograph of a replica of the tarum pump housing Communism comes. After the detonation of the First atomic bomb Soviet in 1949, the United States accelerated its thermonuclear programs. The fear of communism, enhanced by the revolution in China that same year, made the National Security Council recommend quadruply military spending. In that context, the figures of Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam appear, who devised The design that even today supports the H bombs. In 1952, the “Mike” test of Operation IVY demonstrated for the first time the Thermonuclear principle: an explosion of 10.4 megatones (500 times Nagasaki) that left a crater of 1,900 meters wide. Despite such force, that was not enough for Teller. The Soundy germ. Two years later, in 1954, the so -called “Shrimp” bomb during the Castle Bravo test. A powerful explosion was expected, but the result of 15 megatons (1,000 times Hiroshima) even surprised its designers, both by strength and by the devastating level of radiation released. However, Teller’s impetus did not stop there either. I wanted more, Much more. It was then that one of the most delusional and terrifying projects of nuclear history emerged: the Sundial Project. Designed by Teller and his colleagues from the Livermore Radiation Laboratory, the plan proposed a new destruction scale: no already kilotons or megatones, we entered In the gigatons. A couple of brothers. They were designed Two weapons: Gnomon and Sindial. Gnomon would act as “primary”, with a detonation of 1,000 megatons aimed at detonating Soundy, which would reach a power of 10,000 megatons, that is, 10 gigatons. For placing it in perspective, he thinks again The image of the beginning. Well, the figure exceeds 200 times the tsar bomb, and almost does not fit in the conceptual framework of the physics of conventional explosions. The potential apocalypse. The logic behind Sindial overflows any traditional calculation. To such powers, the laws of escalation of destruction They lose any validity: The heat, pressure and energy released would be so monstrous that, a priori, they would open a hole in the atmosphere. In fact, A report Del Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists pointed out that a pump like a sundial, detonated about 45 kilometers of altitude, could cause fires in an area of the size of France. The death toll would be unthinkable, not only because of the immediate explosion but by global radioactive sequels. Hiroshima, with 140,000 victims, would be a sigh against cataclysm that would represent Sindial. It was not science fiction. Although it might seem like a laboratory fantasy, the Sundial Project It was not a joke or an eccentric occurrence. Declassified documents and historical analysis indicate that Livermore’s team worked seriously For years in the development of Gnomon, with concrete plans to test it in the Redwing operation of 1956. That test was canceled, but the mere existence of the plan shows to what extent the fear, scientific ambition and deterrence had pushed the superpowers to border the abyss of the unacceptable. Echoes of Sindial. Suindial never materialized, but his mere conception forced A critical reflection In American politics. The growing destructive power of these weapons overflowed not only military strategy, but also ethics, logistics and land physics itself. While many ruled out their tactical utility for being impracticable (a pump of such dimensions was impossible to launch), its potential as an instrument of symbolic terror was enormous. As with The TSAR pumpits value was more political than operational: a floating threat that showed how far a nation could go if I wanted. Monster in the shadows. Finally, the Soundal project is It was diluting between political restrictions, international treaties and practical sense (without serving as precedent). The Ratification of the treaty Partial prohibition of nuclear trials in 1963 was a brake on atmospheric tests, which in practice made it impossible to continue advancing in the development of extreme performance weapons. The strategy then went on to favor smaller, portable and operational multiple eyelets, leaving behind the vision of total apocalypse that represented Sindial and its cousin Soviet sister. Imagine the unimaginable. What’s doubt, today sundial is just a footer … Read more

His response was the largest underground nuclear base on the planet

by

Talking about the cold war is talking about espionage, secret bases, Advanced weapons to win the opponent in a potential armed conflict and, above all, the Atomic Arsenal Explosion And constant fear of Nuclear Apocalypse. And this implies talking about Russia and the US as protagonists, leaving us in the inkwell to other actors in the conflict. China was another proper name during the Cold War, getting fully into the nuclear race. And they did it big. With the world’s largest nuclear military plant, the mysterious nuclear military plant 816. Bad crumbs with the USSR. The cold war was a tremendously complicated conflict that was played three bands part of time. The US and the USSR were two of the legs, but China entered Liza when the Sino-Soviet conflict. Simplifying history, the Soviet Union And China competed for being the champions of communism and, at a time of 1969, the Soviet Union even considered bombing China with nuclear bombs, including Beijing. However, United States “intervened“, Turning the conflict and relations with China. The position of both approached the subsequent years, but before that, and with a China smelling that the USSR could threaten with its nuclear arsenal, began to build the Nuclear Military Plant 816. Great Nuclear Wall. Zhou enlaiChinese prime minister at that time, he responded to the Sino-Soviet rupture giving the Output gun to a military base in the Chongqing region that would be much more than a bunker: it would become the Nuclear underground installation most important in the country. The goal? Produce plutonium that could be installed in arms, creating nuclear missiles without Soviet help. The works began in 1966 and in process more than 60,000 soldiers of the popular liberation army participated. The objective of the installation was that he was armored against missile attacks, but also against earthquakes of magnitude 8. In addition, he had a great natural wall around him: the Jinzi mountain and his granite. Colossal. Secretism was a constant when building the complex. This is something common and logical in this type of facilities, reaching the extreme that the workers of the workers did not know what their relatives were working or where. In the official records it is indicated that 76 people died during some works that extended over 17 years, but there are sources They point out that the figure would be much greater. Apart, the nuclear military plant 816 has an area of ​​more than 104,000 m² and is the largest tunnel system excavated by the human being. Its 130 galleries total more than 20 kilometers long over 18 United Artificial Cuevas, has more than 13 levels and the height to the deepest point is almost 80 meters, similar to a 25 -story building. In addition, to go from some sites to others inside the plant, cars that circulated on underground roads could be used. That is … it’s huge The control table The reactor room Reverse. During the years of construction, China made Advances in its nuclear program. Although it has been more recent when they officially reached The 500 headsthe first public nuclear test in the country was in 1964, but the complex of the 816 Pedish served little. The reason? After 17 years building that colossal cavernary system and with the advances at 85%, they decided to cancel it. The changes in international relations and the dimensioning tension of the cold war led to a brake on the project. The reactor was never operational and the program was classified in 1984. In 2002, however, it came to light and we could know all these details, even knowing that part of the plant was recycled to become In a fertilizer factory. Tourists, welcome. But with all that excavated, it would be nonsense to have it closed to lime and song. Something like that must have thought of authorities, since, in 2010, they decided open part of the base to the public. Thanks to this we can see photographs like those that accompany these lines and know How would the conditions of a base destined to manufacture nuclear missiles in China 60 years ago. And, in addition to serving as a museum, it is a memorial for the human sacrifices of those who participated in the project, they were official … or those that do not appear in the records. Images | 重庆轨交 18, Iswzo, Lastrik, Pierre Marshall In Xataka | Satellite images leave no doubt: the US has restored the base of the Pacific that launched atomic bombardment over Japan

In the mid -twentieth century the nuclear was fashionable. So someone created “atomic” tomatoes and cucumbers

by

The human being has from the dawn of agriculture trying to improve their crops. Before the arrival of advanced laboratory techniques such as CRISPR or the tools that the transgenics gave them, our species tested with a retahíla of various strategies to obtain larger fruits and vegetablestastier or more resistant. Some more successful than others. Some that bordered the demential. To the latter group belongs to the atomic horticulture, Atomic Gardening. The name of the technique speaks for itself. Atomic horticulture started from the idea of ​​bombarding radiation plantations. The objective of atomic horticulture, or at least the nominal objective of this, was to force mutations that improve the properties of food that were extracted from them. For this, the orchards were arranged in concentric circles, in whose center the radioactive material was located (Generally cobalt-60) capable of emitting gamma rays. The disposition implied that the successive circles received radiation dose that could vary significantly. The closest plants ended up burned by radiation and many nearby developed lethal problems such as tumors. The rest of the plants would receive more moderate doses that would introduce small mutations in their DNA. These mutations could be harmful or beneficial: the technique could Accelerate the natural process Of genetic modification, the selection, natural or human, would make the rest. The origin of this practice is found in the first years of the nuclear era, in the 1950s. Behind this initiative could find an association called The Atomic Gardening Societydedicated to promoting this striking practice. In An article Posted in 1962 the magazine Naturethis agrarian society was defined as “a scientific, educational and non -profit body, which carries out research in plants reproduction using radiative and chemically treated seeds and plants.” The different members of the association could exchange through this different seeds and the organization also served to record the different genetic variations introduced into the plants. The Atomic Gardening Society He also published his own magazine in which members could share their experiences and knowledge. We pointed out before the objective of this practice was to improve the qualities of plants and their fruits, make the most productive and resistant crops and their most nutritious or tasty crops. However behind this practice there was something else: marketing. The 50s was the era of initiative Atoms for peacein whose bosom the atomic gardens were born. This initiative intended to show that the energy responsible for devastation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki could also be used for economic improvement, in this case, agricultural improvement. Atomic horticulture in Spain Atomic horticulture was not an exclusive idea of ​​great nuclear powers such as the United States or the Soviet Union but also various countries from Europe to Japan developed their own gardens. Spain also had Your own atomic garden. The so -called Atomic Jarín of Alcalá is what remains of the Spanish tante in this nuclear agriculture, the then called El Encín Gamma Radiation Field. The origin of this experiment, which did not use Cobalt-60 but Cesio-137is in 1959, when Spain began to leave its isolationist period and could receive this radioactive isotope from US nuclear power plants for the exotic objective of building its own atomic garden not far from the capital. Today atomic horticulture is history. As we pointed at the beginning, today we had less quirky techniques to introduce mutations into plants. The transgenic foods, despite all the controversy they generate, have been accompanying us for decades. In fact, the development of the “scissors” of CRISPR genetic edition has given a new push to the genetic edition of organisms. This tool allows a control never seen before, notably facilitating The work of those looking for Improve the quality, quantity or resistance of crops. Atomic horticulture is history, but their results still endure. They do it in the form of variants of fruits, vegetables and even ornamental plants whose origin is in one of the most unique agricultural practices in the history of humanity. In Xataka | A perfect storm looms over Spanish olive oil: heat, pests and a problem of productive capacity Image | Google Maps / Catalan

Israel has been bombing the nuclear facilities that build other countries around its surroundings. This is the real risk of collapse

by

On February 28, 2022, just four days after the start of The Russian Invasion of Ukrainethe country’s troops led by Vladimir Putin bombarded the vicinity of The Zaporiyia nuclear power plantlocated in the southeast of the country. Shortly after, during the night of March 3 to 4, the Ukrainian and Russian soldiers They fought together with the buildings of this nuclear installation. This scenario has been repeated several times since then, which has represented at some times a threat to the integrity of the nuclear reactors of this central. Unfortunately, the Ukraine War is not the only war conflict that has endangered one or more nuclear facilities. During the last five decades Israel has repeatedly bombarded Iraq nuclear plants, Syria and Iran with the purpose, according to the Israeli government, to prevent these countries from developing nuclear weapons. This is the same scenario as presumably triggered The last episode of the conflict between Israel and Iran on June 13. However, not all nuclear facilities are the same. Israel and the US argue that the plants of Fordo, Isfahán and Natanz, all in Iran, who have recently bombarded several thousand Uranium centrifugers. These machines contain uranium hexafluoruro (UF₆) inside, a corrosive gas that if it came to filter to the environment could trigger a radiological and chemical emergency, although there would be no nuclear explosion. In any case, in this article we propose to explore what would happen if one missile or other large -capacity projectile impact on the building of a nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactors cannot explode as an atomic bomb Nuclear centrals in operation used by many countries to generate electricity have been designed to offer A very high security level and hold your operation over time. The first protection barrier that nuclear reactors have external threats is the containment enclosure. This concrete structure is watertight and is designed to keep the primary circuit of the environment completely isolated (we will immediately see what this circuit consists of). This framework is designed not to be degraded by dilation, to support the energy of an earthquake, and even to resist very important collisions, such as the impact of an airplane. However, in addition to protecting the nuclear reactor from external aggressions, it is responsible for preventing the radioactive material to be lodged in the primary circuit Remove and get in touch with the atmosphere. Anyway, the first thing that a missile or a pump would have to damage to damage a nuclear reactor is to destroy, or, at least, penetrate the containment enclosure. The containment enclosure is designed to withstand very important collisions, such as the impact of a plane The other element of the installation that has a crucial role in the proper functioning of a nuclear reactor is the cooling circuit. Although, in reality, a nuclear reactor works side by side with three different circuits. The primary circuit consists of the vessel, which is the deposit that contains Fuel bars and the water that must remain in contact with them to absorb their thermal energy; For the heat exchanger, which is a second tank to which the hot water comes from the vessel; and by a pump that facilitates the circulation of water between the vessel and the heat exchanger. The primary circuit must be closed because the water it contains being in direct contact with the fuel bars is contaminated. And therefore, It is radioactive. The heat exchanger acts as a steam generatorso a second circuit is responsible for introducing the cold water inside that when it comes into contact with the hot water of the primary circuit, it enters the boiling. From there the necessary steam proceeds to transfer to the turbine the kinetic energy that will make it possible to obtain electricity thanks to the action of the alternator. Once the fluid crosses the turbine the water vapor cools and condenses inside an additional tank to promote the appearance of water in a liquid state that will be introduced again in the heat exchanger, thus giving rise to a second closed circuit known as secondary circuit. Again a pump is responsible for the water to circulate between the condensation tank and the heat exchanger. So far we have described two different closed circuits, the primary and the secondary, but we have left a loose end. In order for the water vapor of the secondary circuit to be condensed inside the condensation tank it is necessary to introduce in the latter cold water. And to do so it is necessary to resort to a third circuit known as cooling circuit. The water of this last installation comes from the sea or from a river near the nuclear power plant, hence it is necessary to accommodate this type of centrals near one of these two natural resources. The thermal energy exchange that occurs between these circuits allows us to obtain the electrical energy we need, which is the ultimate goal of nuclear power plants, but also seeks to keep the fuel bars housed in the reactor core within its optimal range of working temperature. The most serious scenario implies the fusion of the reactor core If the thermal energy generated by the fuel material of the fuel bars as a result of the sustained fission over time exceeds, for whatever reason, the capacity of the refrigeration systems of transporting that energy and maintaining the core of the reactor within the optimal range of working temperature, the fuel could be degraded. And if this happens, it could happen from the solid state in which it is initially to the semi -solid state, or even a liquid state. This phenomenon is known as the fusion of the nucleus, and can cause a part of the radioactive material to end up coming out of the vessel. This was, in broad strokes and without entering the causes of the accident, which happened In Chernobil reactor 4 In 1986, but There are very important differences between the nuclear power plant that … Read more

The US attack on Iran was a forceful message to the development of nuclear weapons. Less for North Korea

by

It is very possible that a nation has been stuck to television by observing everything that happened in Iran. About 20 years ago, North Korea began Send engineers Specialized in the excavation of deep tunnels to Tehran. Two decades later, what was learned was tested through the greater furtive attack of the United States against Iranian underground nuclear facilities. A nuclear lesson. They had several analysts In the CNN than the recent ones United States bombings by deployment of b-2 bombersThey have caused an immediate shock not only in the Middle East, but also in Eastern Asia. For experts, this act of force launches a clear (and dangerous) message to North Korea: without nuclear weapons, You are vulnerable. For Kim Jong Un, which has been reinforcing for years Your atomic program As the Central Survival Pilar of the regime, the US attack confirms a long sustained narrative: nuclear deterrence is the only reliable shield against a regime change from the outside. Thus, far from determining proliferation, military action against Iran could accelerate Pyongyang’s arms expansion, in addition to strengthening its Strategic Alliance With Russia, which has become A military lifeguardtechnological and vital economy For the North Korean regime since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The Moscow-Pyongyang axis. We have gone counting. Since 2024, North Korea and Russia have Institutionalized your cooperation in a strategic agreement of broad scope. According to A report of the multilateral sanctions monitoring team, Pyongyang has sent More than 14,000 soldiers and millions of ammunition, including missiles and rockets, to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In return, has received Air defense systems, anti -aircraft missiles, electronic warfters, critical military technology and refined fuel. Plus: the ability to Build Shaheds. This exchange not only finances the North Korean military program, but allows you to access to advanced technologiesdirect experience in modern war and an alternative source of resources to Western sanctions. In the eyes of the North Korean regime, the pact is not only pragmatic but necessary in the face of international isolation, and the attack on Iran makes it even more indispensable. Examples feeding the paranoia. From that perspective, the strategic message could not be clearer to Kim: countries that do not have nuclear weapons are exposed to American intervention. Iraq was invaded without having weapons of mass destruction. Libya left his nuclear program in exchange for diplomatic normalization, just to see Gaddafi overthrown years later. Iran signed the nuclear agreement and maintained its enrichment below the arms threshold, According to the OIEAbut it was still attacked. Two certainties. In contrast, North Korea has already done Six nuclear testshe owns between 40 and 50 active heads and has developed ballistic missiles Intercontinental capable of reaching the United States. Its arsenal, which includes multiple launch vectors, makes Pyongyang an actor with real deterrence and radically differentiates it from Iran. For Victor Cha, from CSIS, American bombings to Iran reinforce in Kim two certainties: The United States does not have a viable military option against the North Korean nuclear program, and its decision to maintain and expand its nuclear arsenal was correct. First nuclear submarine of North Korea Tripartite deterrence. In addition, there is a difference against Iran: North Korea has a Triple Defense System that complicates any American military option. First, its own nuclear arsenal, second, the defensive alliance with Russia, which allows Moscow to intervene automatically in case of attack, and third, the legal and political need of Prior consultation With South Korea, required by the bilateral treaty with Washington, which converts any action into a regional and diplomatic high voltage issue. In this regard, Professor Lim Eul-Chul warnedfrom the Kyungam University, which attacking North Korea could detonate a Total nuclear wargiven your ability to respond. “It’s not Iran,” LEIF-AMER EASLEY emphasizesby Ewha Womans University. Pyongyang can Attack directly To the United States and, in addition, Seoul is shot from most of its weapons systems. Deterrence when rearma. The foreseeable consequence of the attack on Iran is a hardening of the North Korean position. The regime could Accelerate your tests Ballistics, advance in new eyes, experiment with long -range propulsion and expand your attack vectors. I would also do it under the mantle Russia protector and in open indifference to the resolutions of the UN Security Council, whose coercive effects have been reduced to a diplomatic formality. In strategic terms, North Korea’s reaction will probably not be defensive but expansive: Technological cooperation with Moscow, joint military exercises, transfer of ballistic knowledge and new forms of economic and military interdependence. The TNP. They remembered In The Conversation That the non -proliferation treaty, adopted in 1968, was a commitment between the five recognized nuclear powers (United States, Soviet Union, France, United Kingdom and China) to not transfer nuclear weapons and commit, at least formally, to disarmament. In return, other countries promised not to develop atomic weapons. The treaty, then reinforced with the additional protocol of the OIEA, endowed the nuclear inspection agency for broad powers for Verify peaceful use of atomic energy. It was the Oiea who first warned in 2003 about the suspicious enrichment of Uranium in Iran. And it was also this organization that, weeks before the recent bombings, denounced the Iranian breach for the first time in twenty years. A fragile pact. However, effectiveness of the TNP It has been undermined for decades. The nuclear powers never fulfilled their disarmament commitments. In the case of North Korea, He withdrew from the treaty In 2003, he performed his first nuclear test in 2006 and today could possess up to 50 eyelets. Israel, meanwhile, never formally joined, and maintains a unpacked arsenal. India, Pakistan and North Korea have stayed out or have been disconnected. In other words, the covenant has weakened by its own architecture that, although universal, is structurally vulnerable. Iran and North Korea. To all this, the professor of economics underlined Anthony Burke that Iran now has Two roads. The first would be to reconstruct its uranium enrichment capacity and acquire … Read more

The Iranian nuclear program has only delayed a few months

by

If the images do not lie, and everything indicates that They do notin the days before the American air operation against Iran’s nuclear facilities, the satellite captured and revealed unusual movements in the Fordow uranium enrichment complex, one of the three objectives of The hammer operation. Not just that. The United States has just been part of the victorious proclamation with A report which puts the result of the mission in serious. Anticipation. According to him Visual analysis Of the photographs taken by Maxar Technologies between June 19 and 20, a series of cargo trucks, bulldozers and heavy machinery were positioned in accesses to the main tunnel of the underground complex. The registered activity suggests deliberate work in the entrances with land. In other words, snapshots indicate that they will go He sealted clearly The accesses to its underground nuclear installation of Fordow days before US bombings, suggesting that I was looking to protect her of possible Israeli terrestrial incursions. Implications Although the United States claims to have destroyed key capabilities, Analysts held until yesterday that the previous seal, together with the possibility that nuclear material has been dispersed, raised doubts about the real impact of the attack. In addition, the Blocked inputs They hinder the evaluation of damage, and there are indications of other non -inspected nuclear facilities, which feed the uncertainty about the future of the Iranian atomic program. The report. Plus: In the last hours triumphalism in the White House has given way to silence. The attack labeled as a devastating military operation that “volatilized” Tehran’s nuclear capacity has encountered A report of the defense intelligence agency (day) that directly contradicts that narrative, estimating that the bombings have barely delayed the Iranian nuclear program by less than six months. This preliminary evaluation, released by means Like CNN or the New York Timeshas triggered a hard cross between intelligence agencies, the Pentagon, the presidency of the United States and both national and international political leaders, opening a new front of dispute over the veracity, utility and legitimacy of the aerial offensive. Foreground of a June 20 image where additional vehicles and coatings are appreciated Narrative in front of evaluation. According to the daymultiple bombardment with B-2 and missile He failed to destroy Iranian nuclear infrastructure definitively. This conclusion reinforces the Previous statement of American intelligence agencies, which argued that Iran were not at that time building a nuclear bomb. However, Trump has rejected both valuations and the new leaks, qualifying them of “fake news” disseminated by the media and reaffirming that the whites were “completely destroyed.” The President published in Truth Social that the operation was “one of the most successful in military history” and that any dissonant voice was nothing more than a maneuver to “undermine” its leadership. Rows closure. The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, back The presidential position. Alleged that fourteen 13,000 kg pumps Employees impacted with surgical precision on all objectives and that the effects were “buried under mountains of debris.” He also described as malicious The leaks of the Dia Report and defended that the attack “annihilated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons.” In line, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, He dismissed validity From the filtered report, he attacked his alleged author as “a low -level loser within the intelligence community” and emphasized that the bombing results were “a total obliteration.” Despite these statements, the government postponed without explanation Detailed the informative session classified in Congress that had to analyze the results of the attack, which further ignited criticism. International reactions. From Tehran, Iranian President Masoud fishshkian minimized the impact Of the bombings, ensuring that “the aggressor enemy failed in his goal of destroying facilities, reducing nuclear knowledge or causing social instability.” Also He affirmed thatdespite the human losses suffered during the twelve days of war with Israel, the damage caused to the counterpart was “beyond the imaginable.” This statement challenges frontally Trump’s statements and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who backed the US version without reservations. Netanyahu said that joint bombing campaigns had taken the Iranian nuclear program “to ruin” and warned that they would replicate the offensive if Tehran tries to rebuild it. Perception vs real scope. The Financial Times counted That, in strategic terms, the operation does not seem to have reached the structural deterrent effect proclaimed by the Trump administration. The intelligence report suggests that damaged infrastructure may be repaired or replacedand that the offensive has only produced a limited tactical interruption over time. In addition, the American political reaction reflects deep divisions among those who see in the attack a act of firmness in front of Tehran and those who fear that more than one propaganda maneuver has been treated than of military action with lasting effects. Plus: The fact that Iran’s scientific and technical complexes have not been permanently neutralized by doubt the Effectiveness of bombing As a deterrent mechanism and leaves the door open to a new phase of the nuclear conflict. Limited impact. So things, so much Satellite images like him Intelligence report They suppose a jug of cold water for the rhetoric of the operation, conceived as a demonstration of strength and resolution, but that over the days has become a marked episode by internal tensionsstrategic and narrative doubts. While the bombing evidenced the American capacity To hit deeply protected facilities, it doesn’t seem like there eradicated the threat Potential represented by the Iranian nuclear program. The controversy generated not only weakens the communicative position of the Trump administration, but also reveals the growing distance between political rhetoric and Technical valuations In international security issues. If you want also, the story of the Hammer operation It is a faithful reflection of a conflict that, far from having resolved, could now enter an even more complex and volatile phase. Image | Maxar In Xataka | No one has seen Israel’s atomic arsenal. And that is because Israel has an infallible trick: it appears that it does not exist In Xataka | Ukraine was … Read more

The AI ​​has no future without nuclear energy when even Nvidia has begun to pray to Bill Gates reactors

by

Data centers will be responsible for 10% of the increase in energy demand until 2030, according to the International Energy Agency (IE). The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) What we are living has triggered the proliferation of these facilities In the US, China, Japan, Singapore, India, Germany, Netherlands or Ireland, among other nations. And for the moment there is no indication that invites us to anticipate that this trend will be exhausted in the medium term. A data center dedicated to large AI can exceed 150 MWand, precisely, these are the facilities that are proliferating the most. In fact, in 2024 its global consumption amounted to about 415 TWH, a figure that represents around the 1.5% of global electricity consumption. To solve this challenge and guarantee to data centers the delivery of energy that more and more companies need nuclear. The last one who has done is Nvidia. And is that the company led by Jensen Huang has participated in a financing round Of 650 million dollars to support Terrapower projects, the nuclear energy company founded by Bill Gates in 2006. With this decision NVIDIA adds to the strategy that defends the use of Compact modular reactors (known as SMR for its denomination in English) with the purpose of delivering to the data centers the electricity they need. And, incidentally, put one more leg in a sector with an indisputable growth potential. Terrapower is already building the first Natrium nuclear reactor The nuclear fission reactor that this company has designed is a modular and compact design refrigerated by sodium that uses a molten salts storage system. Because of its characteristics, it is about A fourth generation machine That, according to those responsible, it will be able to generate electricity in half of the cost that a conventional nuclear fission reactor. Whatever the interesting thing is that the first Natrium nuclear reactor in Terrapower is being built in a Wyoming Mining town (USA), and, according to Bill Gates, will be completed in 2030. Nvidia has participated in a financing round of 650 million dollars to support Terrapower projects It sounds good, but we must not overlook that it is a new generation design, so a priori the five years that Terrapower manages seem too optimistic. However, this reactor has an important asset in your favor: on paper Its tuning should be faster and cheaper than that of conventional reactors. In addition, a Spanish public company is participating in the construction of this machine. It is called Ensa (Nuclear Teams, SA), is Cantabrian and has more than five decades of experience in the field of design and manufacturing large components for the nuclear industry. There is no doubt that the fact that Terrapower has decided to ally with it is a boost that will surely reinforce its international image. And, perhaps, he opens the door of other latest generation nuclear energy projects. “This is the first reactor of these characteristics that is manufactured following the highest standards of safety and quality in accordance with the most demanding nuclear regulations,” has declared A Enso spokesman. Interestingly, this Spanish company will participate in The manufacture of the Natrium reactor lid. A last interesting note: currently also intervenes in the construction of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experctor reactor), The experimental reactor of nuclear fusion that an international consortium led by Europe is pointing in the French town of Cadarache. Image | Terrapower More information | The Register In Xataka | “We are already on the last step”: how Spain has done with the key to realize nuclear fusion

“Even in a nuclear apocalypse, the earth would be a paradise compared to Mars”

by

Elon Musk wants to turn humanity into a multi -purpose species, with Mars as a second home and our “lifeboat”, in the event that a catastrophe occurs on earth. Musk’s vision is the engine after the Starship program, which mobilizes billions of dollars with the aim of building a rocket capable of taking us to the red planet. Adam Becker’s three scenarios Some scientists still do not see clear Elon Musk’s ambition to colonize Mars. And not because the Starship has exploded four times in a row. After all, it is an experimental rocket. “There are many reasons why it is a bad idea,” says astrophysicist Adam Becker. “I do not mean that ‘we will never have the technology to live on Mars’. What I say is that the earth will always be a better option, what happens to the earth.” In a blunt Interview with Rolling StoneBecker doubts some of the “messianic fantasies” of technological oligarchs, starting with Elon Musk’s Martian dream. His argument is as simple as devastating: no matter how bad things are put on our planet, the earth will always be a paradise compared to the icy hell that is Mars. In Becker’s words, Musk’s idea is “one of the most stupid things someone could say.” To illustrate his point, the astrophysicist raises three apocalyptic scenarios: 1) The impact of an asteroid the size of the dipes extinguished. 2) The detonation of all the nuclear weapons of the planet. And 3) the worst possible climate change scenario. “Even then,” he says, “the Earth would remain more habitable. A superficial examination of Mars makes it very clear.” Devastated land vs. Mars as it is Let’s put the data on the table to understand the abysmal difference between a devastated earth planet and the Mars we know today. In order for an environment to be “habitable” for humans without a perfect and autonomous life support technology, basic conditions that we often take for granted are needed. The atmosphere of the Earth would be contaminated, but it would remain dense, rich in nitrogen and oxygen, and with a pressure at the sea of ​​1 bar. On the current Mars, The atmosphere is extremely thin (0.6% that of the Earth) and is composed of 95% by carbon dioxide. It is disappointed and has a pressure on the surface of 0.006 bars, so that liquid water boils instantly (or rather it is sublimated, passing from solid to gas). The Earth’s magnetic field would continue intact, diverting most of the cosmic and solar radiation. The atmosphere, even contaminated, would offer an additional layer. Mars lacks a global magnetic field. Its surface is constantly bombarded with a dose of radiation that becomes lethal for a long -term human. On Mars, the average temperature is -63 ° C. All water is frozen in polar or underground caps. On earth, a nuclear winter or the impact of an asteroid would drastically cool the planet, but the oceans would act as a gigantic thermal regulator. The 1.4 billion cubic kilometers of water would continue here. Contaminated and partially frozen, but accessible and treatable, assuming we had access to some technology. The biosphere would be seriously damaged after a catastrophe, but the land of the earth would contain organic matter and the basic components for life. In addition, there would be geothermal and oceanic shelters, where microbial life would persist although other life forms would have disappeared. Martian soil is toxic. It contains high concentrations of perchlorates, dangerous chemical compounds for human health that complicate agriculture. Can Mars be terraft? Although Spacex renders show a gigantic pressurized base under the surface of Mars, Elon Musk has always fought his vision to the possibility of terrafting the red planet. So we already talk about transport millions of tons of load To build a city inhabited on Martian soil, but of a much more great project. There are many (and very diverse) Ideas to terraphormate Mars, but engineering to Megaescala that would mean any of them presents not a few obstacles. The first step would be to raise the temperature of Mars. The proposals van From nuclear bombs to install gigantic orbital mirrors that concentrate sunlight at the poles. By heating polar caps, water ice and carbon dioxide would sublimize, swelling the atmosphere. In theory, a densest atmosphere would catch more heat, which in turn would release more gas and soil gas. This positive feedback cycle would increase pressure and temperature until water could exist in a liquid state on the Martian surface. However, studies They doubt that Mars has sufficient CO2 To achieve this effect. Even if we could release the entire CO2 accessible in polar caps and trapped in surface minerals, the atmospheric pressure of Mars would only increase to 7% of the thickness of the Earth’s atmosphere. In this context, the affirmation of the astrophysicist Adam Becker charges even more strength. If transforming Mars into a habitable planet is practically impossible, living there would require a Total artificial habitat dependence incredibly complex and vulnerable. The logic dictates that any effort and resource would be better invested in preserving and, if necessary, repair the only life support system that we have and that works perfectly: the planet Earth. In spite of everything, and seeing how the world is going, perhaps a plan B would not be bad, even if it were only for the children of the children of whom they would voluntarily live on a worse planet could return. Images | Spacex In Xataka | An American physicist has found a shortcut to get to Mars in 90 days. It is key to surviving radiation In Xataka | China has just solved two problems for the conquest of Mars: you already know how to turn CO2 into electricity and batteries

The possibility of a nuclear disaster

by

All we know at this time is that the United States, through its president, has said that next week It will be “very important” to determine the course of war between Israel and the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, a fear appears in the background, one that, paradoxically, even Russia has put on the table four months after Chernobyl attack: “The world is millimeters from a catastrophe”, The Ministry said of Russian Foreign Affairs. They talk about a nuclear catastrophe. Potential impact on nuclear. I counted this week The Financial Times That Israeli air attacks against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure have revived fears about a possible radiological or chemical catastrophe in the region. In that regard, the general director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, described as “Deeply worrying” The offensive, warning that military escalation increases the risk of a radioactive release with serious consequences for the population and the environment. Although for the moment It has not been registered a large -scale radiological emergency, some incidents, such as the Complex attack Natanz uranium enrichment, have caused localized pollution within the facilities, although without affecting the outside environment, according to measurements of the nuclear agency itself. Radiological contamination The Current data indicate that the detected radioactive pollution is limited to the interior of the Natanz complex and is mainly composed of alpha particles, whose health risk is considered manageable If they are not inhaled or ingested, since their reach is reduced to direct contact with internal fabrics. In the case of Natanz, I They damaged two rooms Underground enrichment and several surface buildings, including a pilot laboratory. However, the level of radiation in the surroundings He showed no changeswhich suggests that There has been no escape external As for other key facilities Like Fordow or the heavy water reactor in construction in Khondab, I don’t know They have registered damagewhile in Isfahán it has not been detected Radiation increase After recent attacks. The difficulty of a catastrophe. The Times explained that a large explosion that releases radioactive pollutants massively requires to reach materials subjected to fissionas in an operational reactor or in an atomic pump. However, not even Bushehr nuclear power plant nor the Tehran research reactor They have been attacked so far. The enriched uranium that Iran possesses is in itself weakly radioactive and only presents greater risks in very specific conditions. The release of fission products such as radioactive iodine or CESIO-137, responsible for the worst health effects after Chernobyl in 1986it does not seem likely on the current scenario. In addition, Iran’s main nuclear facilities are designed to minimize external risks: critical areas from Natanz and Fordow They are buried under tons of concrete and earth, which makes even powerful weapons have difficulty penetrating them full. Reactor 4 Aerial Photography, several months after the explosion Chemical risks. Beyond radiation, experts point out that the real danger could be in the dispersion of toxic chemicals. In the facilities attacked, Like Natanz and Isfahánis stored and manipulated Uranium hexafluoruroa compound used in the enrichment process. Although it is stable at room temperature, its contact with water (even that of air) can produce fluorhoric gas, highly corrosive and lethal if it is inhaled. The OIEA has confirmed that in him Attack to Natanz It is possible that compounds such as uranium, uranilfluoruro and even fluorhorical gas have released compounds, although contained within the enclosure. An illustrative case was the Explosion of 1986 In a conversion plant in Oklahoma, where the liberation of hexafluoruro caused a death and pollution in the environment, demonstrating the reach of this type of accidents even outside a war context. Natanz Nuclear Facilities International regulations. In the key to the international legal framework, armed attacks against nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes are prohibited. The OIEA has reiterated on several occasions that any aggression of this type violates the principles of the United Nations Charter, the rules of the agency and international law. Both Israel and Iran form part of the OIEAalthough the first is not a signatory of the non -proliferation treaty. In 2022, the precedent of the Russian attack and subsequent occupation of the Ukrainian Central of Zaporiyia It was already pointed out by the agency as a made unprecedentedwhen it occurred in a large nuclear complex. In the case at hand, Israel justifies its actions in the suspicion that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, an accusation that Tehran denies. For its part, the OIEA declared recently that Iran has raped by First time in twenty years Its non -proliferation obligations, adding more tension to the context. And if… Then there is another substantive issue. If the Iranian regime suddenly crumbled, leaving its enriched uranium arsenal and related materials unprotected, what would happen? Although air attacks can degrade critical infrastructure, they are not enough for themselves to guarantee the total elimination of nuclear abilities if they are dispersed or hidden. Given this scenario, they remembered the The War Zone analysts that the US special forces (particularly elite units as Delta Force and Seal Team Six) They carry years preparing to intervene on the ground in nuclear emergency situations. Since 2016, El Special Operations Command (Socom) leads the mission of counteracting weapons of mass destruction (CWMD), inheriting this function of the strategic command (Stratcom). The acquired experience From the dissolution of the USSR to ensure uncontrolled arsenals serves as a model for these new contingencies. The United States Army in Nuclear Emergency Exercises The threshold of proliferation. According to the Latest Oiea reportsIran accumulate at least 400 kilograms of 60%enriched uranium, a purity much higher than necessary for civil use (3-5%), although below 90 % required For nuclear weapons. However, moving from 60% to 90% is a relatively short technical leap. The OIEA considers that with just 92.5 kg of 60% uranium it can get a nuclear bomb behind him Final enrichment. This reality worries, since the regime has prevented inspections in all its nuclear facilities. Iran has even taken “special measures” to hide its … Read more

Israel is obsessed with Iran’s nuclear bomb project. What hides is your own unofficial atomic arsenal

by

With the conflict of the Middle East there is a paradox. Israel has been saying that Iran is about to Have nuclear weaponssomething that nobody is certain that it is so, at least not in its entirety. In fact, it is one of the most repeated issues these days how far the Iranian “nuclear theme” reaches. And yet, no one asks the question in reverse. What happens to Israel’s nuclear program? Iran’s “bombs”. It We count yesterday. Despite the alarms on by Netanyahu for more than a decade (like that famous bomb cart that showed in the UN in 2012), there are no conclusive tests that Iran has made the decision to manufacture a nuclear weapon. While the country has enriched uranium to nearby levels to the military And it has accumulated reservations that, technically, could serve to produce several bombs with greater purification, both US intelligence services and the International Atomic Energy Agency agree that It has not been detected An active weapon program. Iran has become A “threshold state”with the ability to arm himself if he decided, but without evidence of crossed that threshold. Single side. And while Israel displays All your military force To dismantle what he considers an existential threat (Iran’s nuclear program), he does so carrying his own atomic arsenal, no officially recognized But increasingly evident. The war that Israel has undertaken against Tehran seeks to destroy Key facilities That, according to international experts, they could provide Iran that atomic bomb in a matter of months. However, in a gesture of paradoxical silence, Israel has never confirmed or denied the existence of its own nuclear program. At the diplomatic level, it maintains an ambiguous formula: ensures that it will not be the first country to “introduce” nuclear weapons in the Middle East. That phrase, deliberately inaccurate, allows you to preserve a discourse of prudence while preserving what most analysts consider a consolidated and growing atomic capacity. Hidden but feared. In fact, the play is doubly winner. Had the New York Times that the most conservative calculations attribute to Israel a minimum of 90 Nuclear Ojivas lists to be deployed, with sufficient fistening material reserves to manufacture hundreds more. Although its arsenal is the second smallest of the nine countries recognized informally as nuclear powers, Just ahead North Korea, its delivery capacity It is advanced: Balistic missiles, modified and submarine combat aircraft endowed with missiles with nuclear capacity constitute a complete deterrence triad. Israel’s absence in the Nuclear Non -Proliferation Treaty (which is also not part of Indian, Pakistan or North Korea) reinforces the legal exceptionality of your situation. The treaty, in force since 1970only recognizes the five nations that detonated atomic weapons before 1967: United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Any other country that signed should, in theorygive up this armament. Israel has avoided that commitment, thus maintaining a strategic freedom that allows it to operate outside international inspections or explicit limitations. Dimona’s secret. And here comes one of the keys to the heart. The heart of the Israeli nuclear program beats in the Néguev desert, at the facilities of Dimona. Founded in 1958 With French help, this installation was Inspection object Americans during the 1960s, but since then it has remained Out of reach of any international monitoring. Broarship intelligence documents They revealed Already in 1960 that the complex included a plant of Plutonium reprocessingwhich implied a military objective. By 1967, Israel had managed to develop nuclear explosives And in 1973, during the Yom Kipur WarThe United States already assumed with certainty that the country He had atomic bombs. Throughout the decades, various satellite images have documented significant extensions In Dimonaand some Recent reports They indicate that Israel could even be building a new reactor to increase its plutonium production capacity, the material indispensable for both nuclear weapons and certain peaceful uses. Silent deterrence. Unlike dozens of countries that are accepted to the nuclear umbrella From the United States for its defense, Israel has opted for its own atomic shield. This strategic independence suggests that Israel not only has nuclear weapons, but is willing to use them As a last resort If its existence is compromised. Although you have never used these weapons in combat, There are reports which point to their preparation during the wars of 1967 and 1973. It is also suspected that Israel participated in Secret nuclear trialsas the famous incident of the American satellite Watches in 1979which detected a double light explosion near the Indian Ocean. Although the nation denied its involvement, newspapers of President Jimmy Carter recorded the Strong suspicion that Israel and South Africa collaborated in that clandestine test. Be that as it may, those events still are not confirmed, although the most relevant documents continue to classified, which feeds suspicions. The strategic logic. In short, and despite Your official opacitythe existence of Israeli nuclear arsenal seems tacitly recognized for its exclusion of otherwise protection mechanisms. The fact that it is not part of the American deterrence is interpreted by experts such as the clearest nonverbal confirmation of its independent atomic capacity. In the eyes of the Israeli government, this decision responds to A philosophy deeply rooted: no one but Israel can and should guarantee their survival. I remembered the Times that this logic, heiress of foundational trauma From the Holocaust, it was explicitly expressed By Ernst David Bergmann, president of the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission, stating that the atomic bomb was the only guarantee that “we will never be taken as lambs to the slaughterhouse.” No doubt, that principle continues to guide Israeli nuclear doctrine: maintain a sufficiently ambiguous capacity not to cause international reactions, but powerful enough to deter any real aggression. Image | Planet Lab, The Official CTBO In Xataka | Israel’s great goal in his war against Iran is to destroy Fordow. And you can only get it with a bomb that has USA In Xataka | Ukraine was the anticipation of what Israel has done: war is no longer … Read more

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.