The New Nuclear Age

Jul 16, 2026

Special report on the United States’ effort to remake its atomic arsenal, including updated warhead development and increased plutonium core production. Covers the costs and risks of living in a nuclear nation, implications of attacks on silo-based missiles, and broader debate over whether modernization improves safety.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages97

Reading Time4 h 4 min

AccessFree to download

SPECIAL REPORT The New Nuclear Age Inside America’s plan to remake its atomic arsenal DECEMBER 2023 SCIENTIfICAMERICAN.CoM © 2023 Scientific American M . Troxel and Ca ltech-IPAC/ R . Hurt CONTENTS DECEmbEr 2023 VOLUME 329, NUMBER 5 62 SPECIAL REPORT 22 THE NEW NUCLEAr AGE 24 bOOm TImES The new costs—and long shadow—of living in a nuclear nation. BY ABE STREEP 39 INSIDE THE PIT FACTOrY For the first time in decades the U.S. is ramping up production of plutonium cores for nuclear weapons. BY SARAH SCOLES 46 SACrIFICE ZONES What happens if silo-based nuclear missiles are attacked? BY SÉBASTIEN PHILIPPE FEATURES EDUCATION 56 mISDIAGNOSING DYSLEXIA How a flawed formula deprives children of help with reading. BY SARAH CARR COSMOLOGY 62 THE COSmIC SUrPrISE Scientists discovered dark energy 25 years ago. They are still trying to figure out what it is. BY RICHARD PANEK A simulated view of hundreds of thousands of galaxies offers a preview of what the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will see. The project will study the nature of the dark matter pulling apart the universe. ON THE COVER Not long ago a global drawdown of nuclear weapons seemed, if not likely, at least possible. Times have changed. The U.S. is modernizing its nuclear arsenal, with plans to make new warheads for the first time since the end of the cold war. The military says the project will make us all safer. Critics say the program is dangerous beyond belief. Illustration by Taylor Callery. December 2 0 2 3 ScIeNTIFIcAmerIcAN.cOm 1 © 2023 Scientific American CONTENTS DECEmbEr 2023 VOLUME 329, NUMBER 5 4 FrOm THE EDITOr 6 CONTrIbUTOrS 8 LETTErS 10 ADVANCES A newfound, hybrid brain cell. Stick insectshaving cryptic sex. The world’s smallest bulldozer. Tectonic beginnings on a gooey earth. 72 SCIENCE AGENDA The U.S. wants to spend more than $1 trillion to update existing nuclear warheads in a move that will exacerbate diplomatic discord and further threaten life on earth. BY THE EDITORS 73 FOrUm People treat companion chatbots as friends and lovers, divulging private information that could be used against them. BY REMAYA M. CAMPBELL 77 THE SCIENCE OF HEALTH Short napshave important benefits foryour mind. BY LYDIA DENWORTH 78 mIND mATTErS To love what you do, recognize that interests are malleable. BY PAUL A. O’KEEFE AND E. J. HORBERG 80 THE UNIVErSE The moon-landing hoax presaged today’s antiscience conspiracy theories. BY PHIL PLAIT 82 mATH A curious pattern of numbers is all around us. BY JACK MURTAGH 83 Q&A How AI is worsening inequality. BY SOPHIE BUSHWICK 86 ObSErVATOrY media attention to Ivy League schools distracts from the undersupported public university system. BY NAOMI ORESKES 87 mETEr A poetic ode to 18th-century chemist elizabeth Fulhame. BY MEREDI ORTEGA 80 88 rEVIEWS Knowing our mind is key to understanding the universe. Symbolism of forests.

Jul 16, 2026

Uploaded by Olivia Brown