COULD ONE BOMB DESTROY THE WORLD?
Very Interesting|Issue 73
How big a bang are arms manufacturers capable of creating?
STEPHEN KELLY
COULD ONE BOMB DESTROY THE WORLD?

There is a scene in Christopher Nolan's film Oppenheimer (a biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer, the man who invented the nuclear bomb) in which Leslie Groves, an army engineer played by Matt Damon, worries about destroying the world. This is just before the Trinity test, the first-ever detonation of an atomic bomb, and Oppenheimer says he's confident that the chances of annihilating all life on Earth are near zero. "Near zero?" splutters Groves. "Zero would be nice!"

In reality, Groves's concerns were those of Manhattan Project physicist Edward Teller. According to Steven Biegalski, Chair of Nuclear and Radiological Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology, Teller was worried that the heat of the explosion "would cause the hydrogen in the atmosphere to undergo fusion, setting off a catastrophic chain reaction that would continue around the globe and destroy Earth". In other words: there was a fear that it would set the world on fire. "This obviously did not happen," adds Biegalski. "The density of fusible atoms and the energy balance prevent it from happening."

Denne historien er fra Issue 73-utgaven av Very Interesting.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra Issue 73-utgaven av Very Interesting.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA VERY INTERESTINGSe alt
TAKE IT SLOW
Very Interesting

TAKE IT SLOW

Slow running is a fitness trend with some hard and fast science behind it

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
Physics, AI and music share a common thread. You just have to know where to look
Very Interesting

Physics, AI and music share a common thread. You just have to know where to look

Studying science can lead you in many directions and open doors to unexpected possibilities along the way

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
Very Interesting

BED BUGS VS THE WORLD

When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans

time-read
10 mins  |
July/August 2024
Kids are the key to understanding obesity. But we need more of their genes...
Very Interesting

Kids are the key to understanding obesity. But we need more of their genes...

We can unravel the role that bodyweight plays in disease, but we need a bigger, more diverse, sample of genetic material to do so

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
COVID inquiry: What did we learn and what can we do better in future pandemics?
Very Interesting

COVID inquiry: What did we learn and what can we do better in future pandemics?

Masks, social distancing, lockdowns... how effective was the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
One hormone could be the key that unlocks a cure for morning sickness
Very Interesting

One hormone could be the key that unlocks a cure for morning sickness

The nausea and vomiting that, in extreme cases, can endanger mothers and babies might soon be just a memory

time-read
3 mins  |
July/August 2024
THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST CREATURES
Very Interesting

THE WORLD'S WEIRDEST CREATURES

Under the sea and upon the land, some animals look - to us - pretty strange...

time-read
8 mins  |
July/August 2024
WHEN MIND AND MACHINE COLLIDE
Very Interesting

WHEN MIND AND MACHINE COLLIDE

First, Elon Musk wanted to make electric cars ubiquitous, then he wanted to make space exploration a private enterprise. Now, with Neuralink, his newest venture, Musk hopes to merge humans and artificial intelligence. Turns out, it might not be such a crazy idea...

time-read
10 mins  |
July/August 2024
COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL
Very Interesting

COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL

Social anxiety is more than just being shy. It's a phobia born out of our evolutionary past. But that raises a puzzling question: why do so many of us fear human interaction when we're supposed to be the most sociable species on the planet?

time-read
8 mins  |
July/August 2024
SPACE ODDITIES
Very Interesting

SPACE ODDITIES

Take a tour of the weirdest spots in the universe, where the 'normal' rules don't apply. Places that squeeze time, blow bubbles and even rain glass... sideways

time-read
6 mins  |
July/August 2024