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Tech NewsNewsRemote-Controlled Probe Picks up Radioactive Debris at Fukushima for the First Time
Tepco, the state-owned operator of the badly damaged Fukushima nuclear plant, has conducted an important test in which a remote-controlled probe managed to grasp several small grains of radioactive debris, AFP reports. The successful operation marked an important achievement for the company as it prepares for a cleanup operation that could take decades. In March … Continued
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Tech News
Confirmed: Lightning Causes Nuclear Reactions in the Sky
Lightning is nuts. It’s a supercharged bolt of electricity extending from the sky to the ground that can kill people. But it can also produce nuclear reactions, according to new research. Scientists have long known that thunderstorms can produce high-energy radiation, like this one from December, 2015 that blasted a Japanese beach town with some … Continued
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SciencePhysics
New Analysis at Nuclear Reactor Reignites Search for Mysterious ‘Sterile’ Neutrino
You’re probably aware that stuff is made from particles. But the second most abundant particle in the universe, the neutrino, refuses to be fully understood. This tiny and elusive speck only barely interacts with the other particles that make up us humans and our galaxy. Its mysteries continue to confound the public and get scientists … Continued
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Tech News
Hackers Uploaded a Worm to South Korean Nuclear Plants
Here’s a scary thing that happened: South Korean authorities found evidence that a worm was recently removed from devices connected to nuclear power facilities. The news comes a little over a week after the country’s nuclear plant operator received warnings on Twitter that its network had been compromised. Thankfully, the reactor controls were not infected. … Continued
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Tech News
The Abandoned Communist Nuclear Reactor That Could Have Killed Us All
Just 90 miles off the tip of Florida lies a half-baked, abandoned relic of the Cold War-era arms race—what was once going to be a joint Cuban-Soviet nuclear reactor. And thank god it never panned out. Because not only do we now have these incredible shots from photographer Darmon Richter, but every last aspect of … Continued
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Tech News
These Vintage Cutaway Drawings Show How Nuclear Reactors Really Work
If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably wondered how a nuclear reactor works. When you look at pictures nuclear power plants, questions must march through your head. Why are some of them shaped like weather balloons? How do they keep the fuel safe? Where’s Mr. Burns’s office? Well, these cutaway drawings can supply some answers. … Continued
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Tech News
Two Fukushima Workers Hospitalized Due to High-Level Radiation
The brave Fukushima 50 are still soldiering on at the damaged nuclear plant, but two have been hospitalized after working on the No. 3 reactor today. https://gizmodo.com/50-fukushima-heroes-work-on-as-radiation-levels-soar-5782440 The two workers sustained injuries to their legs and were exposed to radiation between 170 – 180 millisieverts, with the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency describing how the … Continued
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Tech NewsMilitary Helicopters Finally Dump Seawater on Over-Heating Fukushima Reactors
After yesterday’s failed attempts to pour seawater on the boiling reactors, due to the increasing levels of radiation, two lead-lined military chinook helicopters were able to make four drops each of 7.5 tons of seawater onto the No.3 reactor. Only one actually hit the target, reportedly. While it was deemed safe enough to drop water … Continued
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Tech News
How Nuclear Power Plants Save Themselves from Earthquake-Related Meltdowns
After today’s earthquake in Japan, there was concern over the country’s nuclear power plants: though 13 of the affected plants automatically shut down, two caused a scare. This raises the question: how does a nuclear plant stay safe during an earthquake, and why were there problems in Japan? How do earthquakes affect nuclear power plants? … Continued
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Tech News
How Sinking Giant Ships off the Coast of Rogue Nations Could Help Detect Secret Nuclear Reactors
French scientists seem to have an idea for locating secret nuclear reactors, which involves loading a supertanker ship with 138,000 tons worth of protons, and sinking it off the coast of any troublemaker nation, like, say, North Korea. https://gizmodo.com/could-stuxnet-infect-north-korea-s-new-uranium-plant-5697147 The science behind their idea is nothing new. Antineutrino detection as a form of far-field nuclear … Continued
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Tech News
Russia Is Building Floating Nuclear Reactors Near the North Pole
Great. The guys who built Chernobyl, dropped 456 atomic bombs near an area with one million people, and built atomic lighthouses only to abandon them engulfed in radioactive fog, are now building floating nuclear reactors on the Artic Sea. https://gizmodo.com/the-true-heartbreaking-faces-of-the-nuclear-era-5400857 Here you can see the first of the eight floating nuclear power plants—a ship-platform hybrid … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
Our Troops Need Turd-Powered Nuclear Reactors
This is not an April Fool’s post. This is a serious post about DARPA, the military’s experimental research arm, and how they want to explore human waste as a fuel source for portable nuclear reactors on overseas military bases. Seriously. DARPA’s recent Request For Information seeks a method to “enable the development of deployable nuclear … Continued
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Tech News
These Nuclear Reactor Charts Will Help You Take Over the World
Once upon a time, I wanted to be an evil mastermind and take over the world. My plans were foiled because I knew nothing about the inner workings of nuclear reactors. Oh, if only io9 linked these charts back then. https://gizmodo.com/know-your-nuclear-reactors-with-illustrated-wall-charts-5429963 Those are my favorite charts in the bunch (and probably the most useful ones), … Continued
By Rosa Golijan -
io9
Know Your Nuclear Reactors with Illustrated Wall Charts
Nuclear reactors are an unlikely source of art, but the complex workings of these machines have a strange, industrial beauty to them. These incredibly detailed wall charts explain the inner workings of the machines and display them in cutaways. Nuclear Reactor Wall Charts [Flickr via BibliOdyssey]
By Lauren Davis -
Tech News
Samurai Sword Maker Holds The Key To Nuclear Reactors
In testament to old world craftsmanship, Japan Steel Works is both a samurai sword maker and the only company in the world that’s good enough with steel to produce the central part of a nuclear reactor’s containment vessel in one piece, an engineering necessity in order to reduce the risk of radioactive leaks. The company … Continued
By Mark Wilson
