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Nuclear PowerNuclear power is electricity derived from the energy at the core of an atom. Energy is released when the nucleus splits (fission) or merges with the nucleus of another atom (fusion). Nuclear power accounts for nearly 20% of electricity production in the US and 10% worldwide.
All commercially operating nuclear plants generate power through fission, and most use uranium as fuel. When a neutron hits a uranium atom, it splits, releasing more neutrons that split more uranium atoms. The chain reaction releases energy with each split, which is used to boil water. The resulting steam is funneled through a large turbine, causing it to spin and produce electricity in an attached generator. Control rods can be inserted or withdrawn from the reactor core to adjust the reaction rate, thereby controlling the power production.
Spent nuclear fuel must be carefully cooled and buried underground because it's highly radioactive and capable of damaging or killing cells in living things. Reactor meltdowns are rare but dangerous accidents that occur when a reactor core overheats and melts. Radioactive materials can escape into the surrounding area, poisoning nearby communities and ecosystems.Explore Nuclear Power
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Like nuclear power, US geothermal power plant construction stalled for decadesDevelopment and investment into geothermal energy took off in the 1960s. However, by the 1980s, companies repeatedly failed to find reservoirs of hot water when exploring new locations, and investors lost interest in the expensive drilling required. By the 2020s, technological advancements had finally helped mitigate exploration risk and expand viable drilling locations. Catalyst with Shayle KannThe Chernobyl disaster prompted a sharp decline in public confidence in nuclear powerA Gallup poll from two months after the disaster showed 73% of respondents opposed building a nuclear plant near their homes—up from 45% in 1976. Chernobyl and other nuclear accidents remain in the public consciousness today in debates about nuclear power. GallupA Florida nuclear power plant canal system hosts the highest density of crocodiles in North AmericaBiologists have become regular fixtures at Turkey Point Nuclear Plant, where crocodiles found refuge after Florida's population boom pushed them out of coves and mangrove swamps. Teams working on the plant have done their part to modify the land and help the species thrive. Garden & GunSmall modular reactors can provide nuclear power with reduced risks and logisticsTheir factory-built design allows them to be quickly installed underground, reducing their exposure to future extreme weather. They can provide power to small towns and major cities with much smaller start-up costs and reduced siting requirements. US Department of EnergyAI's growing energy demands are driving tech companies to consider nuclear powerBig Tech has rebranded nuclear power as a green solution to address the strain on the grid from millions of people using power-hungry AI tools. As of mid-2025, generating one image uses as much electricity as charging the average smartphone, or leaving a household light bulb on for 87 consecutive days. The ConversationNuclear power supplies almost half of US carbon-free energyAs of 2023, nearly 20% of US electricity comes from nuclear power, but most reactors were built from 1971 to 1990. Expansion slowed due to safety concerns, high costs, and competition from natural gas. 1440Explore the decommissioning work at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power StationThis virtual tour explores the nuclear disaster site, which resulted from a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, and the various processes underway to remove debris, fuel, and contaminated water. Tokyo Electric Power CompanyJ. Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson says his grandfather would back nuclear powerWhile the "father of the atomic bomb" referred to the bomb as "an evil thing," after the Manhattan Project, he also described nuclear energy’s potential as an environmentally friendly solution to address the world's energy problem. TIMEManage the control room of a virtual nuclear power plantThis interactive takes you on a tour of a virtual plant before handing you the keys to the control room. Challenge yourself to produce enough energy to meet demand while avoiding a nuclear meltdown. The University of ManchesterUranium's ability to split easily makes it the most common catalyst for nuclear powerUranium is commonly found in rocks, water, and soil worldwide, but significant industrial processes are needed to process and enrich it for efficient reactor usage. After being irradiated in reactors, it must be cooled down before disposal. International Atomic Energy AgencySome scientists propose AI-powered satellites to monitor nuclear weapons in place of arms control treatiesWith the New START treaty expired, researchers at the Federation of American Scientists have proposed using satellites and AI to remotely verify nuclear arsenals—replacing the onsite inspections that once built trust between the US and Russia during the Cold War. WIREDThe Non‑Proliferation Treaty was designed to prevent new states from developing nuclear bombsThe Treaty on the Non‑Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (created in 1968, effective 1970) binds non-nuclear states to forgo nuclear weapons and commits nuclear powers to share peaceful technology and pursue disarmament—forming the core of the global non-proliferation regime. United Nations Office for Disarmament AffairsChina doubled its nuclear stockpile between 2020 and 2025, with plans for further expansionChina's arsenal grew from an estimated 300 warheads in 2020 to approximately 600 in 2025—making it the world's third-largest nuclear power. The US Department of Defense projects that China will surpass 1,000 warheads by 2030. Bulletin of the Atomic ScientistsData center power demands have delayed the retirement of coal plantsUS data center power consumption is expected to triple by 2035 to meet the growing infrastructure needs of AI platforms. Longer construction times and higher startup costs for renewable energy systems such as wind and solar have led to at least 15 coal power plant closures being postponed. Yale E360Experiments suggest nuking a metal-rich asteroid may strengthen itScientists exposed meteorite samples to proton irradiation at CERN to mimic the effects of a nuclear detonation. The material exhibited greater resistance to breaking after the exposure, suggesting nuclear weapons may better serve to deflect asteroids, not break them. IFLScienceValentine's Day's namesake is unclearValentine, which means "powerful" or "worthy," was a popular name in the Roman Empire. Considering that, it's no surprise that there's more than one St. Valentine. In fact, three different men named Valentine were martyred on February 14, and none of them, despite some unproven legends, were ever associated with love or romance. HistoryExtraThe construction of LIGO needed to compensate for Earth's curvatureAcross the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) arms, the height of Earth's surface falls by almost a meter, preventing the lasers traveling within the arms from meeting the mirror at the end of each. Concrete slabs built beneath the arms help keep them level and provide structural support against seismic vibrations. LIGO Lab | CaltechNuclear batteries generate electrical currents using radioactive materialsRather than using electrochemical reactions to produce the electrons that flow through a circuit, isotopes like nickel-63 undergo beta decay—emitting electrons—which a semiconducting material can absorb to establish a charge imbalance that generates current. Such batteries could provide low-power energy for decades. IEEE SpectrumThe president has the sole authority to call for a nuclear strikeUnder current US policy, the president alone can order the use of atomic weapons at any time without requiring prior approval from Congress—a power rooted in the president's role as commander in chief. Business InsiderFusion reactions and radioactive decay produce elements inside starsHydrogen, present since the early universe, serves as fuel for the proton-proton chain, producing helium, which is then incorporated into the CNO cycle to produce carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Additional fusions of helium with these elements and subsequent decays via the alpha ladder produce elements up to iron and bismuth. Astronomy MagazineWater acts as a coolant and a moderator of nuclear reactions in reactorsNuclear reactions within a containment structure boil water into steam, which drives a turbine that generates electricity. This water is then recirculated via pumps back into the containment structure to repeat the process, with reaction rates lowered by the insertion of control rods that absorb neutrons, which trigger reactions. Energy.govA nuclear reactor's characteristic blue light is produced from superluminal particlesWhen light travels through water, its effective speed is 25% lower than its speed in a vacuum. Just as sound waves bunch up and produce a sonic boom when objects move faster than the speed of sound, particles moving faster than this reduced speed generate a shock wave of light, visible as a blue hue. Be SmartNuclear-powered missiles replace chemical combustion with energy from nuclear fissionIn these systems, energy is added to an airstream, which passes through a nozzle to generate thrust. Because the amount of energy released per unit mass of nuclear fuel is millions of times larger than that of chemical propellants, nuclear missiles can travel faster and farther with less fuel. The ConversationRussia's invasion of Ukraine has destabilized safety and oversight at ChernobylRussian forces cut power and disabled monitoring of the decommissioned nuclear power plant in 2022, endangering operators at Chernobyl. In February 2025, a Russian drone struck the confinement structure—part of broader efforts to pressure Ukraine's energy infrastructure—punching a hole in the containment shell. The New York TimesJohn Hersey’s ‘Hiroshima’ focused on the stories of atomic bomb victimsThe nonfiction book is considered one of the earliest pieces of New Journalism and an arresting case against nuclear warfare. Describing the pain, wounds and trauma of six ordinary citizens, “Hiroshima” played a powerful role in American perception of the war by focusing on its human toll. BBCItalian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) on the Standard Model"If I could remember the name of all these particles, I'd be a botanist." BrainyQuoteA US project proposed a 10-gigaton nuclear bomb capable of global devastationPlanned in the early 1950s by US scientists, Project Sundial aimed to create a 10-gigaton thermonuclear bomb—hundreds of times more powerful than any weapon ever built. Had it been tested, it was expected to cause global environmental catastrophe. KurzgesagtSpies working on the Manhattan Project propelled the Soviet bomb programSoviet infiltration—most notably by Klaus Fuchs—smuggled detailed implosion-design and hydrogen‑bomb data from Los Alamos to Moscow, cutting the USSR’s development time by at least a year and enabling their first atomic test in August 1949. Smithsonian MagazineWatch 'The Atomic Café'—Cold War satire that exposed nuclear propaganda and proliferation risksThis 1982 collage-documentary uncovers a surreal Cold War era: US civil defense films downplayed nuclear horror, arguing the films fueled public complacency, while the arms race and civilian nuclear hype fueled global proliferation fears before NPT safeguards emerged. TubiThe H-bomb is hundreds of times more powerful than the bomb dropped on HiroshimaUnlike the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima, which relied on nuclear fission, the hydrogen bomb uses fusion to unleash vastly greater destructive power. Developed by both superpowers in the 1950s, it gave each the ability to destroy entire cities in seconds. TIMEIran-Iraq war drained over $1T from the combined economies of Iran and IraqAcross eight years (1980-88), Iran and Iraq each lost about $500 B in GDP, infrastructure destruction, military expenses, disrupted oil exports, and mounting debt—totaling over $1 T in economic damage. TheCollector1970s U.S. energy crisis sparked waves of green innovationFaced with the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the U.S. responded with bold innovation—enacting a 55 mph speed limit, pioneering daylight saving time, boosting solar research, expanding nuclear power, and pushing energy-efficient building designs and automotive technologies HISTORYAs of 2024, there are 90,000 tons of nuclear waste stored at 100+ sites in 39 statesOver 315,000 bundles of spent nuclear fuel rods are stored in water pools and over 3,800 dry storage casks in concrete vaults above ground. Corrosion from saltwater spray threatens waste containers of reactors near oceans. The ConversationRadioactive elements can generate electricity, sterilize products, and date artifactsSince their discovery in the 1890s, these substances have been incorporated throughout our daily lives, from treating food packaging and improving microbial safety to their presence in smoke detectors and gauges for ice cream aeration. US Nuclear Regulatory CommissionThe Curies developed a way to measure radioactivity in an old medical dissecting roomDespite lacking proper laboratory conditions, Marie and Pierre built an ionization chamber and a piezoelectric quartz electrometer to measure the amount of charged particles released via radiation to a sensitivity of ten-trillionth of an ampere. Substances with different emission rates indicated different elements. Google Arts & CultureThere are more than 300 different thematic ETFs Exchange-traded funds seem to offer something for everyone. As tracked by ETF.com, there are 338 thematic ETFs, offering exposure to “baskets” of stocks covering global infrastructure, genomics, cannabis, and more. ETF.comAs of 2024, approximately 44% of Americans support frackingThis makes the method less popular than carbon-free forms of energy production, such as solar, wind, and nuclear power, but more popular than coal mining. Support for fracking increased 7% from 2020 to 2024, primarily due to increased support from Republicans and older Americans. Pew Research CenterData suggests fossil fuels are the dirtiest and most dangerous energy sourcesAlthough all energy sources have trade-offs, fossil fuels emit the most greenhouse gases per unit of energy and have the highest rate of accidents. Low-carbon energy sources—including nuclear power—have the lowest death rates and fewest adverse climatic effects. Our World in DataIsodope is the world's first nuclear energy influencerIsabelle Boemeke, a Brazilian fashion model and social media personality, began promoting the benefits of nuclear electricity in 2015. She now debunks common objections to it through her TikTok persona Isodope—which has more than 34,000 followers. TEDNuclear weapons release energy through rapid atomic reactionsNuclear weapons work by unleashing energy from atomic fission—or fusion—reactions. In fission bombs, a critical mass triggers a runaway chain reaction in milliseconds. This video explains the basic science behind their immense explosive power. RidddleThe Tsar Bomba was the most powerful nuclear weapon ever testedIn 1961, the Soviet Union detonated AN602—known as the Tsar Bomba—the largest nuclear explosion in history. Newly released Russian footage starkly illustrates the unmatched destructive power of this nuclear weapon. ReutersCold War nuclear tests exposed thousands to atomic blastsAfter World War II, nuclear powers conducted thousands of weapons tests. This video pairs archival footage with interviews of veterans who witnessed Pacific test explosions, capturing the scale, shock, and human experience of being near a nuclear detonation. MotherboardEinstein warned the president that splitting atoms could lead to powerful bombsIn a 1939 letter to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein explained that nuclear fission could produce immense energy—and devastating weapons. The warning helped spur the Manhattan Project, a role Einstein later deeply regretted. BBCLearn how splitting an atom releases a massive amount of energyNuclear fission occurs when a heavy atom is split into smaller atoms, releasing energy and triggering chain reactions. This short PBS NOVA video uses simple demonstrations to show how fission works and why it’s so powerful. PBS Learning MediaLearn more about the three sites that powered the Manhattan ProjectThe Manhattan Project relied on three main sites: Oak Ridge, which enriched uranium; Hanford, which produced plutonium in large reactors; and Los Alamos, which designed and assembled the bombs—work that culminated in the Trinity nuclear test in 1945. National Park Service
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