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For a brief moment last week, within a large metal sphere at a lab in California, scientists recreated and controlled the power of the Sun. Using the most powerful lasers on Earth, for a few billionths of a second, a team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility was able to fuse a few types of hydrogen together, the same reaction that produces energy on stars. What sets this experiment apart from all that have come before it is the amount of energy released was greater than the amount of energy contained in the lasers.
Carolyn Kuranz, a nuclear engineering professor at the University of Michigan who works on fusion, considers this new result to be “a truly historic scientific breakthrough.” In a phone call yesterday, she said that people in the future may look back and think of this moment as comparable to the first flight of the Wright brothers.
This experiment shows that fusion is possible, not just in theory, but in reality. While that is certainly a lot to get excited about, as Kuranz explains, there are still a number of “scientific, technological and engineering hurdles that will need to be overcome before fusion will produce electricity for your home.”
Also today:
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Daniel Merino
Assistant Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast
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The target chamber at the National Ignition Facility has been the site of a number of breakthroughs in fusion physics.
U.S. Department of Energy/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Carolyn Kuranz, University of Michigan
The promise of abundant, clean energy powered by nuclear fusion is one big step closer thanks to a new experiment. The results are a historic scientific milestone, but energy production remains a ways off.
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Environment + Energy
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Matthew L. Druckenmiller, University of Colorado Boulder; Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Twila Moon, University of Colorado Boulder
The annual report is also a reminder that what happens in the Arctic affects the rest of the world.
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Ray Lombardi, University of Memphis; Angela Antipova, University of Memphis; Dorian J. Burnette, University of Memphis
Record low water levels on the Mississippi and other major rivers, as seen in 2022, could become more common, threatening transportation of many key goods and raising prices.
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Science + Technology
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Michael W. Russell, University at Buffalo
An effective nasal vaccine could stop the virus that causes COVID-19 right at its point of entry. But devising one that works has been a challenge for researchers.
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Economy + Business
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D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University
The cost of borrowing for a home has fallen in recent months, despite repeated increases of the benchmark interest rate. An economist explains the paradox.
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Politics + Society
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Jarrod Hayes, UMass Lowell
Henry Kissinger’s influence on US foreign policy is profound. His transactional approach – avowedly values free – includes support of murderous and genocidal foreign leaders.
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Joshua Holzer, Westminster College
Special counsels are not entirely independent, but they do still help administrations avoid the perception of bias.
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Health + Medicine
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Emily Toth Martin, University of Michigan; Marisa Eisenberg, University of Michigan
Decades of research show that respiratory illnesses are dramatically reduced when people wear face masks.
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Ken Ho, University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Prejudice and stigma can discourage the communities most affected by infectious diseases from seeking care. Inclusive public health messaging can prevent misinformation and guide the most vulnerable.
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Arts + Culture
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Kate G. Blackburn, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts; Leah E. LeFebvre, University of Alabama; Nick Brody, University of Puget Sound
There was once a time when you could simply put old photos and love letters out of sight and out of mind. Editing your ex out of your digital life is a lot trickier.
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Ethics + Religion
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Myriam Renaud, DePaul University
The Catholic Church practice of granting indulgences, criticized by Martin Luther in the 16th century, still exists, as part of the doctrine – but in a different form.
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