The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?

The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?

Where did the world’s most devastating weapon come from? In a four-part series, we go behind the scenes at America's nuclear laboratories to understand how a scientific-mystery story about the ingredients of matter led to a world-changing (and second-world-war-ending) bomb less than five decades later.


Nuclear weapons have been central to geopolitical power ever since. Now America is seeking to modernise its stockpile and, in doing so, its scientists are pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing.


In episode one, we look at the birth of nuclear physics—the science that emerged early in the 20th century to answer a mystery: what is an atom actually made of?


Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Frank Close, a physicist and author of “Destroyer of Worlds”, a history of the birth of nuclear physics; Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who used to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); and Nicholas Lewis, a historian at LANL.


This episode features archive from the Atomic Heritage Foundation.


Listen to episode two here.


Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts.


This is a free episode. To continue listening to “The Bomb”, you’ll need to subscribe.


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Episoder(1912)

Towards Russia with love: Austria’s political tilt

Towards Russia with love: Austria’s political tilt

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8 Jan 202522min

It’s no longer Trudeau: Canada’s PM resigns

It’s no longer Trudeau: Canada’s PM resigns

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7 Jan 202525min

Against the clock: Gaza peace talks

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6 Jan 202525min

All the president’s money men: the Trumponomics team

All the president’s money men: the Trumponomics team

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3 Jan 202525min

Three presidents and counting: South Korea

Three presidents and counting: South Korea

The country is on its third president in as many weeks—a deep political crisis only made worse by the most deadly air disaster in South Korean history. A change to how Brazil’s football teams are run has lured investment galore, making for a potential rival to England’s top league (9:49). And why movie studios are so keen on plumbing video-game franchises (16:59).Get a world of insights by subscribing to Economist Podcasts+. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Jan 202521min

Don’t mention the war: Russia’s internal tensions

Don’t mention the war: Russia’s internal tensions

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1 Jan 202522min

Billions of voices heard: a year of elections

Billions of voices heard: a year of elections

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31 Des 202422min

Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies

Of peanuts and principles: Jimmy Carter dies

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30 Des 202427min

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