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International roundtable series launches on nuclear disarmament and economic development

Today on its website, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists launches a new monthly Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Development Roundtable series in which experts from emerging and developing countries debate crucial, timely topics in nuclear energy, nuclear proliferation, and economic development.

Strange animal-nuclear tales

How do animals such as elephants, mosquitos, and chickens view nuclear technologies? In these strange-but-true tales, you’ll encounter crocodiles who warm themselves in water surrounding nuclear power plants, polar bears that boarded a nuclear submarine, and even lizards accused of serving as nuclear spies.

Nuclear industry wants Canada to lift ban on reprocessing plutonium, despite proliferation risks

In Canada, the nuclear industry quietly works to revert a nearly half-century ban on plutonium reprocessing, without public consultation.

The Nuclear Security Summit: Wins, losses, and draws

The just-concluded fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit saw some serious progress, but also some missed opportunities.
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Introducing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cost Calculator

Over the last two years, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists and the University of Chicago have created an online tool that will help countries understand the true cost of choosing the reprocessing route—and perhaps help limit the spread of nuclear reprocessing. Here's how.

Drones at nuclear power plants: enemies or helpers?

Small, unmanned aircraft can perform critical tasks after a nuclear accident, but may be a security threat otherwise. Here’s how to separate good drones from bad ones.

Cyber security at nuclear facilities: US-Russian joint support needed

The current political climate makes it difficult for the United States and Russia to cooperate on cyber security, but they can start by supporting other nations that have civilian nuclear facilities.

The US-Russian teamwork that kept nuclear weapons safe

How scientists from once-and-future adversaries cooperated to prevent nuclear catastrophe.

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Special Issue: Nuclear Energy in the Middle East

For immediate release: January 15, 2016 Bulletin Media Contact: Janice Sinclaire, [email protected] CHICAGO– January 15, 2016 – The nuclear agreement that Iran and six major world powers signed in 2015 has focused attention on Middle Eastern nuclear politics. But as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Executive Editor and Publisher, Rachel Bronson, observes, that deal … Continued

Safety—the overlooked crucial issue in Iranian nuclear negotiations

Nuclear safety doesn’t get much press, but making sure power plants can withstand dangers should be an important part of the talks

Nerds, ninjas, and neutrons: The story of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team

Recently declassified material and other information that has never before appeared in the public domain allow a glimpse into the workings of the Nuclear Emergency Support Team —often one of the first agencies to respond whenever there is an incident involving a nuclear weapon or a nuclear reactor.
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Treasure Island cleanup exposes Navy’s mishandling of its nuclear past

For decades before it was selected for closure, the Treasure Island Naval Station in San Francisco Bay overhauled military ships and housed nuclear war academies that used radium, plutonium, and cesium 137 in their training courses. The Navy knew for years that those materials were not always in safe hands. But it did not acknowledge that history publicly, and as a result, workers preparing for civilian redevelopment may have inadvertently spread radioactive material around the island, The Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR) has found in a yearlong investigation co-published by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi at the Bushehr Nuclear Plant in 2015.

How to reduce the risk of a catastrophic spent nuclear fuel fire near the Persian Gulf

Several major cities in the Persian Gulf region could be contaminated by cesium 137 fallout if a spent fuel fire occurred at the Barakah or Bushehr nuclear power plants. The possibility that an accident or terrorist attack could start such a fire is real.

Improving the communication of risks before, during, and after a nuclear accident

Governments need to think more holistically about the risks of a nuclear accident—and educate the public about them.

Cutting power: How creative measures can end the EU’s dependence on Russian nuclear fuel

A staged approach to sanctions could help the EU end its nuclear fuel dependency on Russia—quickly and efficiently.
A wind farm off the coast of Sweden, aerial photograph

An energetic exchange on the costs of decarbonizing Europe

The cost of wind and solar energy has dropped over the past decade, but do the benefits of nuclear energy make up for the higher price tag?
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Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be

Long touted as the “perfect” energy source, fusion reactors share many drawbacks with fission—and even add a few new ones of their own.

It is still three minutes to midnight

In keeping the hands of the Doomsday Clock at three minutes to midnight, the members of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board mean to make a clear statement: The world situation remains highly threatening to humanity, and decisive action to reduce the danger posed by nuclear weapons and climate change is urgently required.