Nuclear Technology
33 episodes · Page 2 of 2
#1625: Why Israel Is Sabotaging Yellowcake, Not Just Reactors
Discover why hitting a yellowcake mill is more effective than breaking a centrifuge in the race to stop a nuclear program.
#1616: The Neutron Moderator: Why Heavy Water Matters
Explore the physics of heavy water and why the IDF targeted Iran’s Arak reactor to block the "second path" to a nuclear weapon.
#1415: Radioactive Legacy: Maintaining the Aging Nuclear Triad
With the New START treaty expired, how does the US ensure its 70-year-old nuclear warheads still work without ever testing them?
#1194: The Vacuum Packing Problem
How do you fit a supercomputer into a 70cm tube? Discover the engineering "wizardry" behind the Arrow 3 missile defense system.
#1028: The Edge of Matter: Mapping the Periodic Table’s Frontier
Is the periodic table finished? Explore the high-stakes hunt for superheavy elements and the theoretical "Island of Stability" at the edge of reality.
#1017: The Nuclear Shell Game: Can We Ever Verify Neutralization?
Beyond the missile strikes, a hidden war persists. Discover why verifying nuclear neutralization is the ultimate intelligence nightmare.
#897: The Dark Phase: When a Bomb Becomes Invisible
How does a massive nuclear facility shrink into a weapon the size of a soup can? Explore the "dark phase" of atomic weapon production.
#716: Why Bombing a Nuclear Site Isn't a Second Chernobyl
Can you strike a nuclear site without a global catastrophe? Discover the science of precision strikes and the tech used to monitor "dark" sites.
#509: The Physics of Proliferation: Iran’s Nuclear Threshold
Why is 20% enrichment actually 90% of the work? Herman and Corn break down the science and the "breakout time" of Iran’s nuclear program.