Resources

July 1, 2024

It took 20 years, but the design and delivery of the International Fusion Energy Project's massive toroidal magnets is complete. The 19 coils are now in Southern France, according to an ITER news release, setting the stage for the massive nuclear fusion project to make its first plasma ... eventually.

June 21, 2024

The U.S. Senate passed what's being called the ADVANCE Act, for Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy. Among a number of other changes, the bill would attempt to streamline permitting for newer reactor technology and offer cash incentives for the first companies that build new plants that rely on one of a handful of different technologies. It enjoyed broad bipartisan support both in the House and Senate and now heads to President Biden for his signature.

June 10, 2024

The United Nations (UN) has officially declared 2025 to be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). Agreed by its general assembly, the year-long worldwide celebration will highlight the impact and contribution of quantum science. It also aims to ensure that all nations have equal access to quantum education and opportunities. The year was chosen as it marks the centenary of Werner Heisenberg's efforts to develop the mathematical formulation of quantum phenomena. 

June 6, 2024

Mexico elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo — a politician with a background in physics and environmental engineering. Despite her scientific pedigree, not all researchers are confident that she will have their interests at heart, given that her mentor and predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, cut science budgets and had a sometimes antagonistic relationship with the Mexican science community. To get a view of what might come, historians and policy experts are asked about how five other scientists-turned-world-leaders fared in office, and whether their backgrounds in science were a benefit — or a detriment.

May 13, 2024

Some of the brightest synchrotron x-rays in the world are set to be beaming around China's new high-energy facility by the end of this year. The 4.8-billion-yuan (USD$665-million) High Energy Photon Source will be the first of its kind in Asia, placing China among only a handful of countries in the world that have fourth-generation synchrotron light sources. 

March 28, 2024

The UK Government has announced a £16.6m investment to give semiconductor researchers and businesses access to new equipment helping them to test and make chips for use in high-energy machines such as electric vehicles and manufacturing equipment. Of the funding, £14m is targeted particularly at semiconductors used in power electronics.