New age nuclear is an article in Cosmos magazine about a new nuclear technology that uses thorium rather than uranium. (H.T. Jordan Bailor)
What if we could build a nuclear reactor that offered no possibility of a meltdown, generated its power inexpensively, created no weapons-grade by-products, and burnt up existing high-level waste as well as old nuclear weapon stockpiles? And what if the waste produced by such a reactor was radioactive for a mere few hundred years rather than tens of thousands? It may sound too good to be true, but such a reactor is indeed possible, and a number of teams around the world are now working to make it a reality. What makes this incredible reactor so different is its fuel source: thorium.
As Jordan notes, the article goes a little over the top on the global warming stuff (for my taste), but the science presented is very interesting.
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