Tag: NUCLEAR

In June, security experts first discovered a dangerous new worm called Stuxnet, which, to the horror of many, possessed the ability to wreak havoc upon real-world industrial systems. The virus affected servers all over the world, but seemed to be especially focused on networks in Iran, as the country absorbed a major attack over the summer. This Iranian focus led many to speculate that Stuxnet ...

An awe-inspiringly complex piece of malware named 'Stuxnet' has some security experts openly wondering whether or not it's the most sophisticated worm ever to hit the planet. Others are speculating that it may be used to target a nuclear plant in Iran. Although the worm originally popped up in June, when it attacked Windows PCs operating industrial control systems, cyber experts are only now ...

It's easy to talk about the benefits of 'green' power, but the bottom line is that the method has to be affordable before people will use it. According to Physorg, a study conducted at Duke University claims that solar power in North Carolina has now become more cost-efficient than nuclear power. Earlier this year, the cost of producing one kilowatt hour (kWh) of solar power dropped to 16 ...

We've gone on a wild goose chase in Iraq, we've spent countless hours worrying about Iran and North Korea, and, all this time, a rogue nuclear genius has been lurking in our own Brooklyn backyard. Mark Suppes, a 32-year-old New Yorker and Web developer for Gucci, recently became the 38th amateur physicist to build a reactor capable of conducting nuclear fusion. According to the Daily News, ...

According to NPR, scientists are using virtual models of nuclear power plants to better prepare nuclear inspectors and to make real-life plants safer. As part of a project called Virtual Simulation Baseline Experience (VISIBLE), scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico work with realistic, projected depictions of power plants. They're created using the same high end animation ...

According to The Sun, a recent official report stated that the navigator of a U.S. nuclear submarine was listening to an iPod when he crashed into a transport ship in the Persian Gulf. The collision, which occurred in March 2009, caused about $92 million in total damages and injured 15 sailors on board the sub. The U.S. Navy spent the last year investigating the crash and discovered some ...

We all know how carbon dating works, right? No? Well, as you should know, carbon makes up the chemical basis of all known life. Carbon, the fourth most abundant element in the universe, can be found in just about everything, albeit in different types of isotopes. Carbon 12 is all over the place, but carbon 14 (C14) is the rare and finicky little sister. The natural ratio between the levels of ...

When we think about a country retreat in England, we picture a small cottage surrounded by beautiful gardens and a moss-covered stone wall. But apparently, that's too idealistic and the real housing market is much more underground -- literally. According to an Associated Press report posted on CBS News, an unnamed person bought a rural nuclear bunker Monday that was built during the Cold War. ...

Very few beings could survive in the apocalyptic holocaust following a nuclear attack. Dr. Manhattan, certainly. Maybe The Toxic Avenger. Possibly even his Toxic Crusaders. But the creature most likely to survive is the cockroach, perhaps the hardiest, and ugliest, creature on the planet. Scientists at Texas A&M University's Nuclear Security Science & Policy Institute have found a way ...

What's the hottest accessory for your multi-million-dollar mansion? Televisions the size of SUVs are passé, and every one and their mother has a saltwater pool in the backyard -- why not invest in something useful, like a bomb shelter? That's right, they were all the rage during the Cold War, and now, Popular Mechanics reports that the bomb shelter biz is 'booming' once again. There's ...

Many may scoff at so-called video game addiction, but three men in Tennessee recently provided some damaging evidence that gaming dependency may be an actual affliction. The guys apparently could not resist playing their portable gaming devices, even though doing so could have initiated the apocalypse -- yes, these three dudes stupidly brought their signal-transmitting Sony PSPs into a nuclear ...

Uh oh. There's a new leak on the Internet and it's more interesting than a naked celebrity. On May 6th, the government accidentally posted a 266-page document, some of which was marked "highly confidential," that contained detailed information about hundreds of the country's public and private nuclear facilities. Although not actually classified according to National Nuclear Security ...

Apparently, something positive came out humanity's insane urge to produce and proliferate nuclear arms over the past century. Carbon-dating has been used by researchers in myriad scientific endeavors, and it turns out that nuclear testing has made the process that much more effective, according to Scientific American. Or, more effective at determining the age of an expensive bottle of whisky, ...

Watch out, Alderaan; the world's largest laser is finally complete. Created to blast tiny hydrogen atoms into a self-sustaining fusion reaction, the giant laser system -- located in Livermore, California -- is known as the National Ignition Facility (NIF). According to the Daily Mail, the system is comprised of 192 laser beams and is 60 times more powerful than the next most powerful laser. It'll ...

We're not totally opposed to building new nuclear plants to help ween us off of foreign oil, but we're not really comfortable with having one literally in our back yards. Hyperion, an energy company based out of New Mexico, has licensed technology from the U.S. government that will allow it to build miniature nuclear power plants capable of powering up to 20,000 homes for six to seven years ...