#nuclear weapons


# science

why we don't need another round of nuke testing

Modern technology and computing made nuclear testing unnecessary. Modern politics make it insanely dangerous.
why we don't need another round of nuke testing

# space    

why the superpowers planned to nuke the moon, and what ultimately stopped them

Before actually landing on the Moon, both the U.S. and USSR were planning to use our natural satellite primarily for war.
why the superpowers planned to nuke the moon, and what ultimately stopped them

# longform    

how i taught my classmates to stop worrying and cautiously love the bomb

A deep dive into the technology behind the horrors unleashed on humanity after Oppenheimer's gadget successfully exploded in New Mexico.
how i taught my classmates to stop worrying and cautiously love the bomb

# science    

why the earth won't remember us fondly

Scientists are debating how humanity will be remembered millions of years from now and it won't be by our sprawling cities and historical sites. It will be by our pollution, garbage, and weapons.
why the earth won't remember us fondly

# astrobiology    

are we drawing in ufos with mushroom clouds?

Retired military officers claim that aliens are visiting Earth to discourage us from using nuclear weapons on each other. But how would aliens know if we have nukes?
are we drawing in ufos with mushroom clouds?

# politics    

why we still live in a m.a.d., m.a.d. world…

Unfortunately for those of us who'd like to remain alive and not irradiated, the ghost of Mutually Assured Destruction lives on.
why we still live in a m.a.d., m.a.d. world…

# science    

can we really end civilization with nukes?

Can we destroy the world with nukes? It depends on who you ask and what kinds of warheads and damage they include in their calculations...
can we really end civilization with nukes?

# space    

the secret moon plans of the cold war

Stalin wasn't the only world leader who was thinking about using the Moon as a springboard for a massive base able to strike anywhere on Earth with devastating consequences.
the secret moon plans of the cold war

# space    

in space, no one can hear you nuke

The Soviet Union wanted to detonate a nuclear warhead on the Moon as a show of force. But without an atmosphere and 238,900 miles away, what would that look like?
in space, no one can hear you nuke

# oddities    

another look at the soviet doomsday machine

Does Russia really house a former Soviet doomsday weapon designed to wipe out ever major city in the West should Moscow be obliterated?
another look at the soviet doomsday machine

# politics    

the funny thing about nukes

Nuclear weapons are pretty much the only weapons you can't actually use and expect to survive the end result.
the funny thing about nukes