The Nuclear Family

White mushroom-shaped cloud surrounded by dark skies tinged with red

Can a nuclear explosion be peaceful? US scientists used to think so.

Global Politics

Fifty-five years ago, scientists created the largest man-made crater in America. Milo Nordyke was there.

Man poses in front of lab equipment

When Soviet science faltered, the US stepped forward. Now it’s France’s turn.

Science
Clifton Truman Daniel with his grandpa, former President Harry S. Truman, c.1963

Harry S. Truman’s grandson speaks out against nuclear weapons

Global Politics
Catholic priests lead a protest march at an anti-nuclear demonstration outside of Seoul in April 2017.

South Korean Catholics take the lead in protesting against nuclear power

Global Politics
A gathering of Marshallese immigrants in Springdale, AR

The proud Pacific nation that preserves its homeland with the Bikini Anthem

Culture
Julia Barton's father

Returning to the secret government lab where my grandfather worked

Culture

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was once a secret city. Every American nuclear bomb contains uranium from the lab there.

When Yuji Onuma was a kid, he lived in Futaba, a part of Fukushima. Today, he has kids of his own — but they can’t go near Futaba. Here, he wears protective clothing during a visit to his old house.

Photos: See Japan’s nuclear legacy — from Fukushima to Hiroshima

Books

Jacob Beser helped bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His grandson, Ari Beser, photographs survivors.

Ari Beser and Keiko Ogura

His grandfather helped bomb Hiroshima. Today, he’s friends with a nuclear bomb survivor.

Conflict

For decades, Keiko Ogura didn’t talk about the US nuclear bombing of Hiroshima.

Kevin Costner stars in the post-apocalyptic film "The Postman", based on the 1985 novel of the same name by David Brin.

Can science fiction help prevent a nuclear war?

Arts

Catherine Asaro and David Brin discuss how technology shapes sci-fi — and how sci-fi shapes technology.

Jörg Möller, an engineer at a defunct nuclear power plant in Germany

A glimpse inside a defunct East German nuclear plant — and what it says about the future of energy in Europe

Science

Jörg Möller, a German engineer, is dismantling a plant that his father helped build.