The past, present and future of nuclear bombs.

In the article "The past, present and future of nuclear bombs" from Science News, science writer Sarah Scoles explores the complex emotions and perspectives of physicists involved in maintaining the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The researchers grapple with the contradictory nature of their work, which both promotes peace through deterrence and enables the destruction of civilization. The United States aims to replace the aging nuclear material in its weapons by producing 80 pits per year by 2030, but some activists oppose these modernization efforts due to concerns about a dangerous arms race. Scoles also delves into the history and culture of the national labs focused on nuclear work, highlighting the connections between basic scientific research and nuclear applications. The researchers hope that by understanding nuclear weapons better, we can protect ourselves from them, but this knowledge could also be used to hide tests from prying eyes. [Extracted from the article]