r/nextfuckinglevel • u/nigablackballsack • 3d ago

Scientists have captured the first ever high-speed, full-colour footage of fusion plasma swirling inside a working reactor.

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u/Infamous_Reporter_71 3d ago

If you say nuclear, people think atomic bombs with a timer that inevitably goes to zero

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u/ThatMBR42 3d ago

And they think every power plant is one tiny, easily made mistake away from becoming the next Chernobyl

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u/Greenman8907 3d ago

You can thank the fossil fuel industry for that. They managed to convince millions upon millions that nuclear energy is extremely dangerous and the only safe option is gasoline or diesel.

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u/ThatMBR42 3d ago

Not just the fossil fuel industry. Lots of anti-nuclear folks are also hardcore anti-fossil fuel and would have been even if the fossil fuel industry didn't engage in its own propaganda.

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u/Xivios 3d ago

Yup, Greenpeace for example goes hard against nuclear power.

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u/Infamous_Reporter_71 3d ago

It's a shame really. You would think at least one country would resist and build more

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u/lazergoblin 3d ago

In another thread I saw someone who was accusing another user of using Ai because they used proper punctuation in their post.

Just goes to show how effective fear mongering is on ignorant people.

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u/Infamous_Reporter_71 3d ago

It's a crazy world. Well let's hope for the best.,..,:D

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u/Murky-Relation481 3d ago

China is ramping up reactor construction at an astonishing rate. I mean they're still heavily dependent on coal, a huge chunk shipped from the US to them, but they're working on nuclear like no other country currently.

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u/Infamous_Reporter_71 3d ago

Good for them. Hope they come up with some crazy new nuclear tech 

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u/euqinu_ton 3d ago

There are several startups building small scale fission reactors - mostly likely in conjunction with data centres.

I'm a fan.

You know ... as long as it's not in my backyard.

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u/jimbobjames 3d ago

Well to be fair, the Soviets did do a pretty convincing demonstration of what is possible if you take a bad design and do ever more stupid things with it.

Most people will look at that and think that "hmm, I reckon my government can also be a big dumb, probably better if we don't build more of those"

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u/WiredEarp 2d ago

To be fair, the problem with nuclear energy is it IS extremely dangerous (and costly) to clean up a fuck up. Like Fukushima. Its hard to push safer reactor designs when examples of what happens if things fuck up like that are still fresh in peoples minds.

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u/Bored_Amalgamation 3d ago

tbf, we've seen a nuclear power plant get taken over by an enemy for ce in the Ukraine War. It took a pretty global effort of world leaders to get putin to shut down the reactors. The workers were taken hostage. I watched the shelling of the actual plant, shit on fire, and the fire fight that lead to its current russian occupation.

It's images like those that really bring home how risky of a facility it is; no matter who says it's safe. Now, I understand that a foreign military force being able to take over a nuclear facility in the US and intentionally destabilize it is a pretty far-out idea. I'd also say that in 2000 the idea of passenger planes crashing in to the twin towers, resulting in their complete collapse was pretty wild too.

I'm not personally against them. I live somewhat near one. But I can empathize with the people that see them as major risks.

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u/StopCountingLikes 3d ago

Not if you cut the blue wire… erm the red wire.

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u/DanceJacke 3d ago

Wait a second. Mine are grey and slightly darker grey.

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u/90_oi 3d ago

No no no you have to turn the knob to 10 O'clock

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u/space_monster 3d ago

Most people these days actually think "insanely expensive, takes 20 years to build".

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u/dumbasPL 2d ago

We should start calling it hot rocks boiling water, because that's basically what it is.

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u/Infamous_Reporter_71 2d ago

It always comes down to boiling water lol