Gingrich and the EMP

Well, this is weird.  Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich has been talking a lot lately about how the U.S. needs to prepare for the risk of a nuclear EMP - "electromagnetic pulse" attack that could cripple the nation's technological infrastructure.  What is an EMP?  Basically a massive pulse of electric energy, which could be created by a nuclear weapon detonated in the atmosphere.  What could it do?  Shut down power grids, cripple communications, and cause machines to go haywire. 

Is this really one of the most pressing risks to consider for the U.S.?  Something to consider at least...

Read about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/us/politics/gingrichs-electromagnetic-pulse-warning-has-skeptics.html

Anselm Kiefer Plans to Buy Nuclear Power Station

Artist Anselm Keifer mines forgotten histories within his work, the German artist plans to buy a nuclear power station








http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,795001,00.html

-Patrick

Saudi Arabia May Seek Nuclear Weapons

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A Saudi prince, in a remark designed to send chills through the Obama administration and its allies, suggested that the kingdom might consider producing nuclear weapons if it found itself between atomic arsenals in Iran and Israel.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/07/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-may-seek-nuclear-weapons-prince-says.html?ref=atomicweapons

- Lara

Educating Japanese children about radiation

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2011/12/201112753841966219.html

-karin

Activists Enter French Nuclear Facilities

"French police on Monday arrested eleven activists with environmental group Greenpeace who broke into two French nuclear-power plants in an attempt to raise questions about reactor security."



http://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/-/world/12247597/activists-enter-french-nuclear-plant/

-Patrick

Questions swirl around $6 billion nuclear lab

"At Los Alamos National Laboratory, scientists and engineers refer to their planned new $6 billion nuclear lab by its clunky acronym, CMRR, short for Chemistry Metallurgy Research Replacement Facility."
"Questions continue to swirl about exactly what kind of nuclear and plutonium research will be done there, whether the lab is really necessary, and — perhaps most important — will it be safe, or could it become New Mexico's equivalent of Japan's Fukushima?"



http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKZi6fhYnYX-iZCL51SrKrqZ-XdQ?docId=bee19ebe8ee3473fa3739fd2d20b2e26

-Patrick

New analysis of Fukushima meltdown: worse than we realized

The reactor cores involved in the Fukushima crisis are still too radioactive for anyone to directly determine what state they are in, but new computer models indicate that the fuel in Reactor 1 likely melted all the way through the reactor vessel and part of the primary containment.  Not good! 

The picture comes from this IEEE Spectrum blog posting.

Readings and resources on nuclear weapons issues

The final opinion paper for The Unstable Nucleus should be on some topic related to nuclear weapons.   While nuclear weapons policy may seem intimidating to understand, there are several hot topics in current debate that would make great subjects for an opinion piece.  Topping that list:  how should the world react to Iran's nuclear ambitions?  How should the world react to North Korea's nuclear weapons?  Should the U.S. ratify the CTBT?  (The CTBT is a great topic to choose because U.S. public opinion could make a significant difference in what happens).   Or, more generally, do you support or reject Obama's agenda for "global zero"? 


Below are a lot of resources to use for understanding nuclear policy in general, and to get started on some of the specific topics that are under discussion right now.  Of course, many other topics are possible for the final paper!  Feel free to email me if you'd like some more ideas or feedback.

U.S. Nuclear Policy - General Issues

Full Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) document representing the Obama administration's public policy on nuclear weapons (look for the link to the pdf on the right side of the page.  The "executive summary" is the short version).

Some interpretation, commentary, and critique:
Time Magazine article summarizing the key ideas of the NPR
Federation of American Scientists blog analysis (the FAS was founded by ex-Manhattan Project scientists to provide non-partisan viewpoints on security issues.  They tend to support the "global zero" agenda)
Critique from the Heritage Foundation (a conservative think-tank)

How "global zero" started to be taken seriously in the U.S.:
A famous 2007 Wall Street Journal article by four influential former statesmen that put the idea of "global zero" back into serious debate and influenced Obama's policy.
Obama's landmark speech on nuclear weapons in Prague in 2009

...And why some think it's a terrible idea:
Time Magazine opinion piece on why nuclear weapons should get a Nobel Peace Prize.
National Review opinion piece on why supporting nuclear disarmament is just naive, and another on why the disarmament agenda could have nasty unintended consequences.

Iran

You will have no trouble finding tons of material on your own (and there is more posted earlier on this blog).  A few more articles to fan the flames of this contentious debate:
A nice overview on the issue from the BBC.
Opinion piece from CNN on why an Iranian bomb would be bad news.
Opinion piece from Canada's Globe and Mail criticizing the U.S. rhetoric on Iran.
A similar piece from the Guardian UK saying that diplomacy is the way to go, not military action.
Republican presidential candidates have made this a key issue for debate.  Some news on the positions taken by Newt Gingrich,  Michele Bachmann, and Mitt Romney.
Associated Press piece on Iran threatening to attack Turkey if attacked.

North Korea

BBC backgrounder on the stalled nuclear talks.
Sig Hecker's report on the newly revealed uranium enrichment plant in North Korea, from last year.
Article on current status of the issue and U.S. response, from the Washington Post.
Yonhap article on South Korea's cooperation with the IAEA.

CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty)

This may not be in the news a lot right at this moment, but it's a great topic to write about because it will make a big difference to the world whether the U.S. eventually ratifies it or doesn't, and the ratification decision rests with senators (who can be influenced by public opinion).  So, here's a place where your voice could have a real influence - consider writing a letter to your senator and actually sending it!

Main webpage for the CTBTO (the organization in place to monitor for global nuclear tests if the treaty goes into force).
Background information on the political history of the CTBT in the U.S., from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (a nuclear non-proliferation organization).
Opinion piece from the LA Times supporting the CTBT.
Opinion piece from the Weekly Standard against the CTBT.

Other topics (just a few that I've noticed in the news recently)

Atlantic Monthly article on Pakistan:  are their nukes secure?
Isreal:  some recent analysis from Ha'aretz Daily of the policy of "nuclear ambiguity" and why it's here to stay.
Opinion piece in the New York Times about plans for a new plutonium facility at Los Alamos.

Supersonic missiles tested - with interesting nuclear angle...

I just heard this on NPR this evening and thought it was worth sharing.  New supersonic missile technology is being tested by the U.S.  One of the reasons claimed for wanting such technology is to create an efficient global strike mechanism for conventional weapons that isn't easily confused for nuclear missiles. 

Check out the audio clip:
http://www.npr.org/2011/11/18/142518959/army-successfully-tests-hypersonic-missile

WIPP The Real Yucca Mountain

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2011/06/19/politics/wipp-draft-gets-ahead-of-pearces-intent.html

Art of Science

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2011/11/14/science/20111114-princeton-8.html

Just to break away from serious news... science/art?

-Karin

First public views of Fukushima...

Reporters (shown above in outfits designed to protect them from contamination) were recently allowed into the Fukushima reactor facilities for the first time. The New York Times has a slideshow of their trip available here.

Opinion pieces on Iran abound...

Heads up, if you're looking for topics for the final paper for this class!  A great topic would be to weigh in on how the US (or any other nation of your choice, or the UN, or the public) should react to Iran given our current knowledge of their potential nuclear weapons ambitions. 

The piece posted earlier on "Nuclear Isreal Revisited" is a strong-worded polemic against Israel and the US, and here's another from Salon arguing that the US shouldn't be too concerned about a nuclear Iran.  The Salon piece takes up the claim that "deterrence" logic doesn't work for Iran, and questions this.  On the other side of the debate, an Australian editorial proclaims a nuclear Iran to be a "grave threat." and some US politicians are calling for pre-emptive strikes on Iran.

Where do you stand?  Want to write a response to one of these?

Next Generation Reactor

In October 2011's issue of National Geographic there was a two page spread about the next generation of nuclear reactors. This one uses graphite pellets that have uranium sprinkled throughout them. And this reactor is also billed as being "melt-down proof". But after Chernobyl, I am a little skeptical of graphite being used as a moderater in a reactor.

-Alexis

Nuclear Detonations between 1945-1998

I found this video a while ago, and while it does not take into account events after 1998 and North Korea. I think it is still a good representation of the speed and proliferation of nuclear weapons. This is not the original video but a sped up version.

-Alexis

Nuclear Isreal Revisited

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/2011111075527560230.html

Commissioning of India Kudankulam nuclear plant delayed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15684591

Iran and Nukes - Yikes!

As Adam already posted, the big news story this week is a new report detailing evidence that Iran has been working on nuclear weapon designs. This is a very significant development in the world of nuclear weapons, and the US and many other nations will be scrambling to respond.

You may find lots of articles on this from your favorite news sources, but please do look up this story and read about it.  Here are a few articles from different perspectives:

CNN article
An interesting compilation of reactions, from Reuters

Analysis from the Jerusalem Post
Denunciation of the whole thing from the Tehran Times

Will Iran have Nuclear Weapon Capabiities within Months?

Western experts to Haaretz: Iran able to build nuclear bomb within months

Experts conclude nuclear weapons engineers from Russia, Pakistan and North Korea have been assisting Iranian scientists in their efforts to reach nuclear capability.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/western-experts-to-haaretz-iran-able-to-build-nuclear-bomb-within-months-1.394255

posted by Adam

West Coast Amonia Leak

Posted by Jenny Farrell

Biofuels boom in Africa as British firms lead rush on land for plantations

Controversial fuel crops linked to rising food prices and hunger, as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/31/biofuel-plantations-africa-british-firms


Posted by Hillary Basile

India plans 'safer' nuclear plant powered by thorium

Use of relatively low-carbon, low-radioactivity thorium instead of uranium may be breakthrough in energy generation India has announced plans for a prototype nuclear power plant that uses an innovative "safer" fuel.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/01/india-thorium-nuclear-plant

Posted by Hillary Basile

New bursts of fission at Fukushima?

Disturbingly, it sounds as though the partially melt-down reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan have spontaneously begun fission chain reactions.  This could happen if the partially melted fuel continues to physically shift, or depending on other materials (water etc.) that may be present around the fuel.  So far, it sounds like it hasn't led to any large increases in heat or other issues, but it is a sign of the fact that more than 6 months later, these reactors are not entirely under control. 

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/world/asia/bursts-of-fission-detected-at-fukushima-reactor-in-japan.html

Nuclear Facility in Syria?

http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/un-probe-unveils-new-suspected-syrian-nuclear-facility-1.393109

Posted by Adam

Resources: Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Waste Debates

The first opinion essay for The Unstable Nucleus should concern an active debate over nuclear energy or nuclear waste. Not sure where to start?  Pick a news source that you respect and search their opinion pages for items on nuclear power or nuclear waste.  Look at local news stories related to nuclear power plants near Chicago or near your home town - odds are, there will be ongoing discussions about licensing issues, safety concerns, plans for upgrades, or new power plants. 

A handful of potentially useful resources are below.

Nuclear Waste Issues in the US

* What's the government doing about nuclear waste?  Well, Yucca Mountain was canceled and now there's a committee talking about the alternatives.  The presidential Blue Ribbon Commission on nuclear waste issues has a website.  Also, check out responses from some House Republicans to the decision to give up on Yucca Mountain here.

* A guy named Matthew Wald has written extensively on nuclear waste for the New York Times, and many of the articles are interesting.  Check them out, along with some other news stories on nuclear waste, here.

* How do the people of Nevada feel about Yucca Mountain?  Here's an archive of articles from the Las Vagas Sun. 

* While you'll need to log in through the library proxy server to get access to these, Scientific American has several great articles on nuclear waste - Try these links:
An overview of the nuclear waste conundrum 
Opinion piece against waste reprocessing


Nuclear Power Issues in the US


If you pick a topic on nuclear energy, I hope you'll aim for something specific (like whether the Indian Point reactor near New York City should be shut down, or whether Indonesia should go forward with the plans to start nuclear power).  But if you need some extra resources for general "pro" and "con" arguments, a few are below.

* Pro-nuclear:  check out an interesting (though old) essay by Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore on why he changed his mind and became pro-nuclear, here.  The industry group The World Nuclear Association has loads of fact sheets and materials to support nuclear energy - start with this essay by Director General John Ritch.   The US-based Nuclear Energy Institute is another place where you can get the perspective of the industry, for example at their "myths and facts about nuclear energy" page.

* Anti-nuclear:  Greenpeace is one of the major anti-nuclear activist organizations - their nuclear energy page is here.  The Union of Concerned Scientists is an activist organization that calls for tighter security and safety regulations for nuclear power.  They maintain an enormous amount of information about accidents, mishaps, and safety issues at U.S. reactors.  An overview of their concerns is here.

Checking in on North Korea

So, the fact that North Korea has nuclear weapons makes a lot of other nations nervous, to say the least.  For years, South Korea, China, the U.S., Japan, and Russia have tried to negotiate with North Korea to slow their nuclear activities.  A year ago, the surprise discovery that North Korea had a brand-new uranium enrichment plant caused a lot of speculation and unease around the world - what are they up to exactly?

Just in the last week, talks have been restarted between North Korea and the other nations mentioned above.  So far, they seem to be going well - but this is definitely something to keep a sharp eye on!

Here's a Reuters update.


(p.s. - looking for readings/assignment this week?  Check the portal page to find a written homework assignment due this week in class.  No quiz!)

US's most powerful nuclear bomb being dismantled

I thought this was an interesting article about how the largest nuclear bomb is set to be dismantled in Texas. Especially when I thought about how Obama wants to get down to zero nuclear weapons but at the same time increased nuclear weapons research. Also I just thought it was interesting when the article mentioned that the bomb is 600 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and that it weighs 10,000 lbs.

-Alexis

http://my.news.yahoo.com/uss-most-powerful-nuclear-bomb-being-dismantled-071325260.html

India's Continuous Nuclear Conundrum

India's path for nuclear plans has been full of many complicated decisions and speed bumps.

In 2008, Bush signed a nuclear deal with India which allowed civilian nuclear trade with India, and

in 2010, France signed a nuclear deal with India to build two reactors in India at a cost of $9.3 billion.

This occurred a few months before India and Japan signed trade deals to boost trade and investment. (this playing a role to counter China's anti-Japanese movement) However, Japan wanted India to commit to ending nuclear tests and India refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

One month post-Fukushima, violent protests (one man killed, many injured) rose in areas of India where power plant proposals were being made. (Jaithapur, West India) Many farms and neighborhoods are being taken over and hurting the agricultural and farming economy.

Australia being India's main supplier of Uranium (as well as China), now sees its opportunity to refuse to sell it to them as a means of getting India to sign the NPT. Although India does not disagree with the treaty, they see that it would be unwise to do so because the other countries that haven't signed will have an upper hand. "The issue is, above all, one of strategic common sense: China, which went to war with India in 1962, has nuclear weapons pointed at it, making it irresponsible to sign a treaty that would disarm India unilaterally."


(All information taken from english.aljazeera.net)

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/10/20111011113454624274.html


-karin..again.

Nuclear New York

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/19/141489883/fight-over-nuclear-plant-draws-n-y-political-heavies



Polls show that 40 percent of New Yorkers want the plant closed while 49 percent do not want the plant to close.

To close the plant or not to close the plant?

-karin

Chernobyl Film Premieres at Chicago Film Festival

Tomorrow is the last screening of the film "Innocent Saturday," (3:40 at AMC River East 21) a story which follows a man on the day of the disaster of Chernobyl, April 26, 1986. He is the only one who realizes the vast impact that the disaster will have but nobody in his town seems to believe him.

Here's the trailer: http://vimeo.com/29438487

Sorry for the late post, I just found out about it.

-Karin

Readings for October 21

Here we go - head first into the debate over nuclear energy!  The main reading for this week is an article from a few years ago that gives an overview of both sides of the debate.  This is a pre-Fukushima survey, but the core issues have not really changed:

1)  Pros and Cons of Nuclear Energy from a Wall Street Journal article by Michael Totty.  Notice as you are reading this that many of the "pro" arguments for nuclear energy are not actually phrased as inherent advantages of nuclear energy, but as answers to criticisms.  For the quiz this week, I will be asking you to write a few one-sentence summaries of arguments on each side of the issue, so be familiar with the range of points made in this article.

2) The other reading for this week is a recent New York Times article on the future of nuclear power around the world, after Fukushima.  Key (quiz-able) things to note:  how has Japan's plan for the future development of nuclear power changed?  Is the United States still planning to build new nuclear reactors?  Which country has the most nuclear reactors, and which country gets the largest fraction of their energy from nuclear power?

Global Zero Nuclear Summit Aims To Eliminate Nuclear Weapons Worldwide

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/11/global-zero-nuclear-power_n_1004801.html

A thought-provoking article discussing the possibility of eliminating nuclear weapons.

"Some 100 international leaders from across the globe and across the political spectrum -- including former top Reagan advisers -- will call on the heads of the eight nuclear powers (plus nearly-there North Korea) to initiate the first-ever multilateral negotiations for the elimination of nuclear weapons."

Posted by Jasmine Chong

Polonium-210, smoking, and spies

What do cigarettes and the strangest (publicly known) assassination in the recent history have to do with each other?  Polonium-210!  It's a radioactive isotope that is one of the many "daughters" of the decay of natural uranium.  It's present in small quantities in soil and rock around us.  Interestingly, tobacco plants take up Polonium from soil and fertilizer.  A significant contribution of the cancer-causing power of smoking comes from radiation from Polonium-210 alpha decays in the lungs.

I recently ran across an article that is an "expose" of the fact that tobacco companies have long known about the radioactive material in their cigarettes and kept it quiet.  Check it out: ABC News article on radiation in tobacco smoke.

A concentrated (but still invisibly small) dose of pure Polonium-210 was slipped into a cup of tea consumed by former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, and led to his rapid death from radiation poisoning.  This story of this assassination is fascinating and disturbing.  Read about it in this CBS News Article or by following the book review link below.


Image credit:  The Alexander Litvinenko Family, via Getty Images, taken from a New York Times book review on "The Terminal Spy," a book about Litvinenko's death.

Readings (and quiz info) for October 7

Right now in class we're talking about radiation health risks, "risk" in general, and beginning to develop a better understanding of nuclear reactors.  Readings for this week pick up on a couple of those threads. 

1)  The American Nuclear Society Dose Chart.  Go through this and find out your own average yearly ionizing radiation dose.  I won't expect you to know any of the actual numbers for the purposes of the quiz in class, but I'd like you to have some sense of which contributions are large and which are small.  It is also worth looking at this critically:  this is put together by a pro-nuclear organization.  Can you tell?

2) A primer on the health effects of ionizing radiation, used for training workers at Princeton University who handle radioactive materials.  This is an online version of the type of training manual used anywhere that scientists or technicians have to work with or around ionizing radiation.  Things to pay attention to:  types of prompt vs. delayed effects, why children and fetuses are more susceptible to radiation damage, and which body organs are most and least sensitive.  (Note - your brain is a part of your nervous system.  Is it extra sensitive to radiation, or not so much?)

3) An opinion piece by (pro-nuclear) risk expert David Ropeik in Scientific American last Spring.  This article was in response to the reaction to the Fukushima catastrophe.  As you're reading it, pay particular attention to his explanation of why nuclear risks are particularly scary to people.  Also pay attention to the idea of "confirmation bias," and his comparison of estimated deaths from nuclear accidents compared to deaths from fossil fuel burning.  

Beyond Visibility: Photography and Our Connection to the Cosmos

October 4, 2011 - Mind = Blown

Aspen Mays in conversation with Kathryn Schaffer, PhD!!!

Exhibiting artist Aspen Mays and Kathryn Schaffer, postdoctoral fellow at the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, will discuss ways scientists and artist search for insight into the origins of our universe using photography, among other tools.
Tuesday, 6pm at MoCP

http://www.mocp.org/exhibitions/2011/07/post_1.php

sorry there is not so much relevant science provocation in this post but this should be an amazing talk.

Yikes?

So, it looks like the first radioactive rice has been found in Japan... and yet, no rice crop has been banned for shipments....

First Part of the Article

Article Continued...

-Kate

OMG CRAZY INFO! "Light Speed May Have Been Exceeded By Subatomic Particle"

read this article about poor Einstein and how his theory may have just been proven wrong! those damn neutrino's

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/cern-light-speed_n_977014.html

Posted by Adam Rose

http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2011/06/20/nuclear-plant-problem-in-nebraska

Obama News Black Out Over Nebraska Plant

http://econintersect.com/b2evolution/blog1.php/2011/06/20/nuclear-plant-problem-in-nebraska---Nick Foster

Note on readings for Sept. 23

Howdy!  If you're looking here for readings for class this week, note that this week they're on the portal page for the class, along with a written homework assignment that we will discuss in class, which is due the following week.

Keep up the interesting posts!  Remember that the login information for adding to the blog is in the syllabus (which is posted on the portal also).  Note that to make web links work, copy the link into the edit window and then highlight it and click on "link" in the menu bar... and you'll get a real link!

Indonesia Goes Ahead with Nuclear Plant

The video is pretty long but I thought I'd post it anyway. Indonesia is building a plant on the East Coast in Sumatra, a big risk considering that "it sits on the volatile volcanic Pacific Ring of Fire and experts warn that a repeat of the 2004 tsunami could cause a catastrophic disaster."

-Karin

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/101east/2011/09/20119147571781154.html

radiation shielding tech

http://www.emfields.org/shielding/overview.asp

--Hani Eid

Did Cosmic Ray Radiation Affect Evolution?

This seems to be a topic that has come up at various times over the last 50-100 years (the amount of time we've known about radiation and the fact that a lot of it comes from space). My impression is that the role of cosmic radiation in evolution and extinction over the history of the Earth is still under debate.

Some "astrobiologists" have recently argued that massive amounts of radiation from a relatively nearby exploding star (supernova) could have caused "extinction events," and there's lots of interesting discussion about how changes in cosmic ray radiation could affect the earth's climate.

Read about some of these ideas in this Space.com piece.

The Work of Jan Tichy

Jan Tichy teaches at SAIC in the Video & New Media Department. I thought this was interesting in light of our conversation about Israel's "we have no-nuclear power" stance. Tichy is himself Israeli (as am I), which makes this really interesting.

"My work deals with political and social issues drawn mainly from urban and industrial contexts. I make installations using paper or porcelain as sculptural materials and video projection as a time-based source of light. The projected animation reveals and enhances the sculptural elements, creating layers of narrative. I use photography, video, sound, and sculpture to explore how the physical and psychic space of these artificially constructed environments manifests itself as subject to change through the interventions of time, nature, and political action. In my works I deal with controversial charged sites; some inaccessible to the public, and with non-specific environments, raising awareness to issues like nuclear power, abandoned oil fields, secret prison, etc.; unfolding social unconscious and pointing out problematic implications. I work with abstract forms and architectural elements. The use of formal and minimal visual language emerging from my photographic background (both in the objects and the animation) is intended to open the narratives to different interpretation, ranging from urban landscapes to organic structures, generating eerie atmosphere and feeling of alienation. The light that illuminates the dark space in my works became my language and I persistently seek to expand my vocabulary. This projected light allows me to turn the whole space into a sculptural object."

SAIC PROFILE: http://www.saic.edu/gallery/saic_featured.php?type=gr&album=1292

Work about Nuclear power: http://www.artiscontemporary.org/features_detail.php?id=49

Posted by Adam Rose

A Gallery of Atomic Images

I'm curious what you all think about this (click the image of the map below to go to the page):
 
This is a "gallery" put together by some folks at IBM who do research using a device called a Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) to obtain images of structures at the size scale of single atoms and molecules. They can also use the device to manipulate individual atoms to create silly structures like "carbon monoxide man:"



Lots of interesting things to think about here, but not the least is the choices made in how these images are colored and displayed. Thoughts?

Atoms - Old School and Cutting Edge (Readings for Sept. 16)

So, we have gotten an introduction to radiation in the news, and worked on distinguishing radiation and radioactivity.  Perhaps it's time to delve into the deeper structure of matter and understand atoms, nuclei, and radiation more carefully?

Here are readings/viewings for next week, with a few guiding comments to consider what might be important for next week's quiz and/or discussions.  Also remember that reviewing the slides from this week (on portal) is important!

1) Your basic intro to atoms will be a totally awesome 1950s animation introducing the atom and the physics of uranium fission.  This is called A is for Atom and it's about 15 minutes long.  As you're watching, consider this an introduction to the key concepts of "isotopes," "transmutation" and "fission."  Also, pay attention to the technological/practical applications of radioactivity that the video talks about, as well as the overall tone and attitude of the piece towards nuclear technology.

2) Are new elements still getting discovered and added to the periodic table?  Two readings about Ununseptium, from The New York Times and a Discovery Magazine blog.  Key concepts here:  What's an "atomic number?"   How are new elements "discovered?" Is Ununseptium radioactive?  Do scientists know if there's an end to the periodic table?

3) Whoa - anti-atoms! BBC article on trapping anti-hydrogen.  There's a lot here - key concepts are:  What is antimatter?  What is an anti-atom?  Why are they so hard to study?  Why are they interesting to scientists?

Alas, I looked for some good articles to cover "Can we see atoms?  Photograph them?" but everything I found was crappy.  We'll talk about it in class!

Welcome Fall 2011 Unstable Nucleus Class! Time to learn about Radiation!!!

It's time to get this blog going again...with some readings for next week!  We already have a lot of ideas to figure out in this class.   Beginning with:  what exactly is the distinction between the words "radiation" and "radioactivity"?  Where in nature and technology do we encounter different forms of radiation and radioactivity?

The articles in the readings for this week will show some places where these topics are popping up in the (mostly recent) news.  If you followed the lecture pretty well, then you can skip straight to those articles.  If you'd like a little more review, a decent introduction to radiation and radioactivity can be found at the How Stuff Works website:  http://science.howstuffworks.com/radiation.htm.

Readings for this week:

1.  Granite Countertops!  This is one of my favorite weird articles for this class - New York Times article on radioactive countertops.

2.  Food affected by the Fukushima disaster in Japan.  This is an ongoing concern right now.  This is not the greatest article ever (it's pretty confusing) but will get us started as we watch for more news on the subject:  Bloomberg article on contaminated mushrooms and other foods.

4.  Cell phone radiation.  Here's a status update from May on what's known about cell phone radiation and cancer, from CNN.

5.  Radiation used in cancer treatments.  Many types of radiation are used to treat cancer.  Here's a recent article from the Telegraph on a radiation "miracle cure."

6. Radiation exposure from air travel.  This is an LA Times article from last winter that brings up lots of interesting stuff to discuss.

An interesting question to ask (no, you won't be quizzed on this!) is whether the radiation discussed in each article comes from radioactivity or not.  As you read through this, also take note of some of the specialized vocabulary that comes up - in the next class we will work on clarifying some of the terminology and understanding radiation better.

MIT report: don't reprocess spent fuel

We have seen that reactions after the Fukushima accident have led to calls for changes in nuclear waste policy.  Some have argued that the involvement of spent fuel pools in the Fukushima disaster argues for reprocessing or other approaches besides allowing spent reactor fuel to sit around indefinitely.  Others have argued that the plutonium leaking from the damaged Fukushima reactor that used MOX fuel shows we shouldn't reprocess.

A new MIT research study out today argues that after Fukushima we should revisit our entire nuclear waste strategy.  It states that there is no urgent need to reprocess, so the best course of action is to store waste in a temporary, stable, and regularly managed form and leave the option open of reprocessing decades in the future if uranium supplies dwindle. 

This is a new and different approach to the whole nuclear waste question.  Check out more details in this New York Times article.

“The minimum time given is ten years”

The "ten years" we're talking about here is the minimum time for dismantling the damaged Fukushima plant and cleaning up the site to a point where it is completely stable.

Read more about it in this IEEE Spectrum blog article.

Chernobyl 25th anniversary

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl explosion that caused the worst nuclear accident the world has ever known.  A few interesting links:

Time Magazine photos of the abandoned town of Pripyat (housing for Chernobyl workers), 25 years later.

More pictures, from an Economist blog.

LA Times article on how there is still uncertainty about the long-term health effects of the disaster.

The Atlantic article on Chernobyl as a tourist attraction

Don't Go in the Park

In Fukushima City near Fukushima plant, children are only allowed to play in parks for up to one hour. Children also shouldn't go in the sand. Why not warn people to not go outside at all?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iu-jeKB0-B8

-Oliver

Fukushima timeline and projected total radiation releases

Japanese authorities are claiming that the worst radiation releases are over, and that the leaks should decline over time so that the total radiation released by the Fukushima disaster remains close to 10% of what was released in Chernobyl.

But, they also say that it's going to take 3 months to stop the leaks, and 6 to 9 months to get to a fully safe "cold shutdown" state for the troubled reactors. 

Let's hope that nothing else goes seriously wrong (and there are no further earthquakes!) in this time period! 

Read more in this AFP article

russia/Mayak nuclear plant

full 32 min segment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbR00_W4gEo

-Alex

Readings for final homework assignment, plus extras

Here are the two required web readings for the final homework (#7):
1) "Fact sheet" on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
http://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/nptfact
2) New York Times article from last year on the Obama administration's "Nuclear Posture Review." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/world/06arms.html

It really is interesting and worthwhile to read the Nuclear Posture Review itself, or at least the "executive summary" at the beginning.  This document lays out U.S. nuclear policy in fairly clear language, although there is a lot of specialized vocabulary associated with nuclear policy issues.

Find the whole thing at:
http://www.defense.gov/npr/

Here come the robots...

Seriously!  Robots are now being used at Fukushima to take video and measure radiation levels within the most dangerous regions of the reactor buildings.  See video:

From this article by Popular Science.

Level 7!

Remember our discussion of the 7-level system for labeling nuclear incidents?  Remember how surprised we all were that Fukushima was being rated at level 5?  Well, they've raised the level all the way to 7, putting it on par with Chernobyl.  Estimates say the radioactivity released is already about 10% of Chernobyl and also that it doesn't show signs of stopping anytime soon, so it could in fact surpass the total release at Chernobyl.

Check out the news story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/13/world/asia/13japan.html

Town near nuclear plant rejects Japanese utility's 'token' offer

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/05/japan.nuclear.money/index.html?npt=NP1

Tokyo Electric Power Company began paying neighboring towns.
One town, Namie, refuses the "apology".

- Christine

Gallup poll: Americans aren't turning against nuclear power

Well, this little video isn't too convincing since it just involves a couple of questions.  But it does seem to hint that public opinion in the US hasn't changed dramatically because of the Fukushima disaster.

 Link to short Gallup poll video

(I have a hard time listening to this guy say "nuke-u-lar" so many times!  Ack!)

Japanese Officials Dumping Water 1 Million Times Safe Limit into the Ocean

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/05/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html?hpt=T1

I think the title says it all

posted by Sam

Triage, monitoring and dose assessment for people exposed to ionising radiation following a malevolent act

interesting article from the Radiation Protection Dosimetry journal (http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/) about precautionary measures & existing protocols for handling radiation crises

-Bethany Schmitt

Abstract

The part played by individual monitoring within the context of the overall response to incidents involving the malevolent use of radiation or radioactive material is discussed. The main objectives of an individual monitoring programme are outlined, and types of malevolent use scenario briefly described. Some major challenges facing those with responsibilities for planning the monitoring response to such an incident are identified and discussed. These include the need for rapid selection and prioritisation of people for individual monitoring by means of an effective triage system; the need for rapid initiation of individual monitoring; problems associated with monitoring large numbers of people; the particular difficulties associated with incidents involving pure-beta and alpha-emitting radionuclides; the need for techniques that can provide retrospective estimates of external radiation exposures rapidly and the need for rapid interpretation of contamination monitoring data. The paper concludes with a brief review of assistance networks and relevant international projects planned or currently underway.

Full article

Readings for this week's Homework

The goal of the homework assignment this week is to explore the "pros and cons" of nuclear energy as a whole (see the handout posted to the portal).  You can use your own research for this, but here are some articles that can help get you started.

An Overview of Both Sides:

Wall Street Journal overview of both sides of the debate.  

Articles and Resources Promoting Nuclear Energy (Pro):

Essay by Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore supporting nuclear energy

Essay from World Nuclear Association's founder John Rich on "The Necessity of Nuclear Power"

Article from the World Nuclear Association on the safety of nuclear reactors (including updates related to Japan)

Collection of "myths and facts" articles from the Nuclear Energy Institute (an industry group)

Articles and Resources Against Nuclear Energy (Con):

Greenpeace anti-nuclear campaign website

Greenpeace briefing:  Nuclear is Not the Answer

Union of Concerned Scientists article arguing against a "nuclear renaissance"

Union of Concerned Scientists article arguing against subsidies for nuclear energy

An editorial reflecting on Fukushima and arguing nuclear is not viable largely due to its water dependence

"Jumpers Wanted"

Make $5000 a day working for TEPCO in the damaged reactor! Cool! As a "jumper," all you have to do is run in, complete some kind of task and then run out as quickly as possible. Fun!

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/01/us-japan-quake-jumpers-idUSTRE7303C420110401

-sam york

Japen Nuclear Evacuation "will be long-term"

Officials say residents near the Fukushima plant face a long-term evacuation, as Japan begins an intensive search for missing quake victims.

11,500 people are confirmed dead by nearly 16,500 remain unaccounted for.

Article Link

Radiation from Japan found in Chicago area

Trace amounts of the radioactive isotope radioiodine- 131 where found at the Dresden nuclear power plant in Morris, IL.

Meanwhile emergency drills and evaluations of all six of Illinios plants are underway.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localchi/20110330/ts_yblog_localchi/report-radiation-from-japan-found-in-chicago-area?bouchon=602,il

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/03/23/state-officials-conduct-nuclear-crisis-drill/

Finding out: Fallout from Fukushima

Where can you get information about the amounts of radioactive material being dispersed from the Japanese Fukushima Daiichi reactors?  It hasn't been easy to get reliable information about radiation levels, as we've discussed in class.  A few places to look that go beyond what's in the mainstream news:

1)  The United States EPA "RadNet" system
This is a system of radiation monitors all around the US that is constantly taking data.  Graphs and information are made publicly available, although they are not always extremely easy to interpret, and there are often gaps in the data due to equipment issues and upgrades.  The EPA also releases news updates that provide a summary view based on the radiation readings.
RadNet "Data Map" interface for getting information from the stationary monitors
EPA daily data summary

2) The CTBTO radionuclide stations
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) is an international organization dedicated to monitoring the world for evidence of nuclear weapons tests as a part of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  While the treaty is not yet in force, the international network of monitoring stations still is producing data, and it shares this data with its member states.  This data is not made public directly by the CTBTO, but in Austria, researchers have been making public some of the CTBTO radiation measurements and climate modeling.  The central web pages are all in German, but many of the updates and links are in English.
Main web page for ZAMG - Austrian meteorology information
Latest update on the fallout from Japan
An animation from fallout modeling
A report (in English) from March 25
Another report (in English) from March 22

3) "Crowdsourcing"
I've seen a bunch of articles on "crowdsourcing" radiation measurements, both in Japan and in the rest of the world.  The idea is that a bunch of ordinary citizens buy geiger counters and monitor radiation levels where they live, contributing the data to a central database.  There are a lot of potential problems with this (unless the users of the geiger counters really understand the details of making radiation measurements), but it has the advantage of being totally decoupled from any authority source.  Below are a few articles and some of the web sites where this information is collected.
NPR article on "citizen science" radiation measurements in Japan
CNET article on radiation "crowdsourcing"
The RDTN network (Japan)
alTokyo website (measurements in Tokyo)
Radiation Network (U.S., with links to similar projects in Japan and Europe)


4) Physics graduate students!
I was personally super excited to find a research paper written by one of my grad school professors and some of his current students at the University of Washington in Seattle.  They measured the radioactive isotopes that arrived in Seattle from the Japanese reactor and were actually able to use this information to infer some details about the disaster.  Really cool!
A blog article about the research

Very moving - emails from nuclear workers in Japan

An email exchange between a worker at Fukushima nuclear plants and a Tepco employee in Tokyo has been published by the Wall Street Journal.  It is very moving and disturbing:

"Crying is useless. If we’re in hell now all we can do is to crawl up towards heaven."

Read more here

Finding out: Global Nuclear Energy Policy

I found a couple of interesting summary sites discussing how different countries are reacting to the Japanese nuclear crisis.

Here's an article from Spectrum (the magazine of the IEEE, which is a professional organization of electrical engineers in the U.S.) that gives a nice summary of the different reactions around the world:


IEEE Spectrum article.

And, here's an interesting set of commentary pieces from a Harvard policy center, discussing reactions in China, Russia, South Korea, India, and Iran. 

Harvard Belfer Center article on Global Future of Nuclear Power after Fukushima

Could Fukushima lead to better studies of the effects of Chernobyl?

The Chernobyl accident led to huge releases of radioactive materials over a wide area of Europe.  While some health effects of the accident have been studied, there hasn't been enough funding to do the huge, detailed studies that would really tell us something about the final impact of that disaster. 

Interestingly, one thing that might come out of the Fukushima disaster is a renewed interest in long-term studies of the effects of radiation, including studies of the impact of Chernobyl. 

Here's an LA Times article on this possibility.

couple of pictures...

....in the control room of reactors 1 and 2.


http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/23/6327867-first-look-inside-crippled-fukushima-dai-ichi-nuclear-power-plant-control-room

-Andrew Shen

Earthquake victims denied rooms

Complaints have been made from people in the Fukushima prefecture that they have been denied lodgings in hotels because they were from the same district of the nuclear crisis, in fear of contamination. Official reasons giving by the hotel chains were because of over crowding.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20110319/t10014780791000.html

-Andrew Shen

Great Radiation Comparison Graphic

Here's a neat way to visualize comparative radiation doses from various sources (click on picture to go to the original, where you can actually read the text)

Earthquake and Tsunami Death Toll

Hi folks,

Amy sent a link to answer the question about the death toll from the earthquake and tsunami.  Sounds like it's currently at around 7,000 with over 10,000 people still missing.  Here's a link to the article and video:


http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/18/japan.disaster/index.html

Art and Radiation

Take a look at these powerful images taken by photographer Paul Fusco in 2006, 20 years after the Chernobyl disaster. He documents the lives of those affected by the release of radiation to this day.

Warning: graphic images

http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essay/chernobyl

-Elliott Beazley

Reactions from two ends of the spectrum

On the one hand, we have Greenpeace, which has always taken an anti-nuclear-energy stance.  Read about their reactions in this Vancouver Sun article. 


On the other hand, we have the nuclear industry itself, as represented by the Nuclear Energy Institute.  Check out their ongoing coverage, as well as their press statement.

Three ways the nuclear disaster could end

Basically,
1) the reactors are basically destroyed, but public radiation exposure is minimal
2) fires and small explosions in the cores and spent fuel ponds spread radiation around the area, leaving an area highly contaminated and uninhabitable, but only within a few miles of the nuclear plant
3) absolutely everything goes wrong, and major explosions or fires cause significant fallout plumes to spread to a wider radius

This comes from a decent summary by USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-03-18-1Ajapannuclear18_CV_N.htm

Presented Without Comment...

-Liana Jegers

"This is a situation in which people may be called in to sacrifice their lives"

That quote comes from the Gregory Jaczko, head of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. agency responsible for regulating nuclear power.  He believes the situation in Japan may be far worse than the Japanese are admitting, and the quote continues: "...It's very difficult for me to contemplate that, but it's… it may have reached that point."

In the mean time, the U.S. has evacuated all its military personnel to a radius of 50 miles around the reactors, whereas the Japanese evacuation radius is only 12 miles. 

Read more in this LA Times article

Fallout predictions

Hi folks,

After class this week one thing I wondered was whether I'd exaggerated the possibility of fallout spreading all the way to the U.S.  A big difference between this disaster and Chernobyl (which I was using as a worst-case baseline) is that in the Chernobyl case, extremely hot fires were capable of launching the radioactive material high into the atmosphere.  Even in the very worst cases, that can't happen in the same way in Japan.

However, that doesn't mean there won't be a large fallout "plume" creeping its way across the globe.  The levels of radiation are not likely to be significant outside the local area of Japan, but they will be measurable, so we will definitely be hearing about it.  Some predictions for the wind flow patterns (not showing actual radiation levels yet):



The image above was generated by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (which we'll discuss a lot more later in the semester), and comes from an interactive graphic from the New York Times.

here is a really useful and informative site with updates on the nuclear crisis in Japan
http://www.nirs.org/fukushima/crisis.htm?

sam york

Reactor design in Japan has long been questioned; Wall St Falls on nuclear power crisis

Design weaknesses in General Electric designed Mark 1 nuclear reactor in Fukushima Daiichi, Japan make it prone to coolant failure and is at severe risk in the Japanese crisis.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16contain.html

US stocks tumbling today in fear of nuclear catastrophe
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/markets-stocks-idUSN1524249620110315

sam york

Nuclear Disaster in Slow Motion

If past nuclear disasters (Three Mile Island and Chernobyl) are any guide, we should expect this news story to be unfolding and changing for weeks, months, even years.

A couple of observations in comparison to those past disasters:

1)  It will likely take weeks or even months to get these reactors into a stable, unchanging state (say, no more risk of explosion, for example).  The latest news stories say that workers have to abandon the most damaged reactor.  If radiation levels are that high, there will not be any safe way for anyone to approach to implement containment, repair, or additional emergency measures.  Will helicopter tankers be brought in?  Other extreme measures?  In any case, there aren't any quick fixes for the conditions that have developed.

2) If there is a breach of containment and a large radiation release, we'll all be watching the plume travel around the world for weeks.  The fallout plume from Chernobyl traveled around the world in a few weeks, leaving radioactive cesium-137 and other isotopes everywhere.  The amounts were minimal in most places, but measurable, and they caused mass anxiety, to say the least.  I still don't see the radiation releases in this case getting to be as bad as Chernobyl, but even at the current levels, we'll be hearing about the fallout reaching the US...

3) It will likely be years before the full extent of the damage is known and understood.  In the Three Mile Island accident in 1979, it took until 1986 until a meltdown was actually confirmed.  It took that long to safely enter the reactor core with a remote-operated camera to actually figure it out.  Things have advanced a lot since then, but we may not have a straight answer on the status of these reactor cores for a long time.

So, get ready for the long haul!  Yikes.

it seems that four days after the earthquake, they're still having trouble coming up with a clear picture of whats going on. the confusion between search and rescue and trying to understand whats going on in the core could be troublesome to the future of nuclear tech if a large amount of workers are contaminated or worse. part of the problem i think is the media that would make it worse. i heard somewhere (or maybe it was a previous article) that this was the worst inccident since chernobyl. but they didn't mention it was the ONLY inccident since chernobyl and not casued by malfunction, but the 4th biggest recorded earthquake in history.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We're now into the fourth day. Whatever is happening in that core is taking a long time to unfold," said Mark Hibbs, a senior associate at the nuclear policy program for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "They've succeeded in prolonging the timeline of the accident sequence."

"On Saturday, a similar explosion took place at the plant's Unit 1, injuring four workers and causing mass evacuations. A Japanese official said 22 people had been confirmed to have suffered radiation contamination and up to 190 may have been exposed. Workers in protective clothing used hand-held scanners to check people arriving at evacuation centers."

"On Monday, the U.S. Seventh Fleet moved its ships and aircraft away from Japan's northeast coast after discovering low-level radioactive contamination on crews returning from relief missions."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42066534/ns/world_news-asiapacific/?gt1=43001


Andrew Shen

The China Syndrome

"The China Syndrome" is a 1979 movie that I have not seen but apparently it is a movie about a hypothetical idea of an extreme result of a nuclear meltdown...
----------------------
The 'China Syndrome' refers to the most drastically severe meltdown a nuclear reactor could possibly achieve. In this case, the reactor would reach the highest level for a sustained period of time, resulting in the melting of its support infrastructure. The uranium in the core would behave in a similar manner to a delta-class fire, self-sustaining temperatures in excess of 2000°C. Since these temperatures would melt all materials around it, the reactor would sink due to gravity, effectively boring a hole through the reactor compartment's floor. (Lapp, Ralph E. "Thoughts on nuclear plumbing." The New York Times, Dec. 12, 1971)

Continue: http://www.examiner.com/law-enforcement-in-national/china-syndome-japan-u-s-officials-assess-nuclear-emergency-response


-ALicia

Japan fights to avert nuclear meltdown after quake

More about the damaged nuclear plants in Japan that exploded...


FEARS OVER OTHER REACTORS

The complex, run by Tokyo Electric Power Co, is the biggest nuclear concern but not the only one: on Monday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Japanese authorities had notified it of an emergency at another plant further north, at Onagawa.

But Japan's nuclear safety agency denied problems at the Onagawa plant, run by Tohoku Electric Power Co, noting that radioactive releases from the Fukushima Daiichi complex had been detected at Onagawa, but that these were within safe levels at a tiny fraction of the radiation received in an x-ray.

Shortly later, a cooling-system problem was reported at another nuclear plant closer to Tokyo, in Ibaraki prefecture.

Fukushima's No. 1 reactor, where the roof was ripped off, is 40 years old and was originally set to go out of commission in February but had its operating license extended by 10 years.

Continue here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-news-us-japan-quaketre72a0ss-20110311,0,7597594.story?track=rss

-Alicia

Updates on radiation exposure in Japan

Above is a pretty disturbing picture from the New York Times of a worker checking a child for contamination with radioisotopes from a nearby nuclear plant.


Here's a quote from the article:

"The emergency at the plant that suffered an explosion appeared to be the worst involving a nuclear plant since the Chernobyl disaster 25 years ago.
The government confirmed that radiation had escaped from the worst-hit plant, and local officials said that 22 people outside the plant showed signs of radiation exposure and about 170 other people near the plant had likely been exposed, but it was unclear if they had received dangerous doses. Early Sunday, the government said three workers were suffering full-out radiation illness"

Find the rest here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/world/asia/14nuclear.html?_r=1&hp

aliens disarming nuclear weapons

on a lighter note...

-Alex Ryan

This will change everything...

Wow, I can't believe this is all really happening.  One of the damaged nuclear plants in Japan had an explosion that blew off part of the roof. While they claim that the reactor "core" has not been breached, this explosion does increase the chances of radiation leaks to a wide area.  As I read about this, what's on my mind is the workers at the plant:  how are they working in this environment?  How are they problem-solving when the major parts of the reactor are in such unstable conditions? 

A 12-mile radius has been evacuated, and the authorities are passing out iodine pills.  Remember how we talked about those in class?  Horribly, the evacuation and radiation concerns are interfering with rescue operations related to the initial quake.

At this point, there is no question in my mind that we're witnessing a major game-changing historical moment in nuclear technology.  Wow.

A photo and some news:



New York Times article

Japan trying to prevent meltdown at nuclear plant in Fukushima

"A portion of Japan's nuclear reactors have been shut down in the wake of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, but officials are worried about the Fukushima plant, where the emergency cooling system is problematic."

"Emergency authorities have ordered the evacuation of all civilians in a two-mile radius around the power plant, a total of about 3,000 people, and are planning to vent slightly radioactive steam from the plant, which is located about 160 miles north of Tokyo. Those within a six-mile radius were warned to stay in their homes."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-sci-japan-quake-nuclear-20110312,0,2627198.story

-Elliott M. Beazley

Ballistic Missiles may trigger Nuclear War

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/03/new-icbms-vs-terrorists-plan-now-50-less-crazy/#more-41976

Chia Chang Koo

New York Times investigative series on radiation regulation

 

 

Above are a couple of graphics from the New York Times series on excessive radiation exposure and lax regulation in medical radiation technology.  The full series has covered everything from dental x-rays to cancer treatments that involve beams created by particle accelerators.  The total volume of material collected on their website associated with this series is kind of amazing.  Check it out:


New York Times topic page for the "Radiation Boom" series of articles

Hillary Clinton on Nuclear Treaties

Two years ago, President Obama gave a landmark speech calling for total nuclear disarmament and pledging to work towards it with treaties addressing existing nuclear weapon arsenals, nuclear testing, and the production of materials for new nuclear weapons. 

Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is attending an international "Conference on Disarmament."  This is not an official U.N. meeting, but it is a U.N.-supported group of 65 nations with the intention of negotiating future disarmament treaties.

One of the key items on the agenda:  a proposed "Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty."  Signatories to such a treaty would agree not to produce any of the raw materials for new nuclear weapons.  The country currently stalling the progress of these negotiations is Pakistan.

Check out this transcript of Hillary Clinton's remarks.  Over the rest of the semester, we'll untangle the alphabet soup of nuclear treaties and give you some more background in what all this is about.