Nucrear Fusion

Overheal

http://gizmodo.com/5538214/north-korea-claims-success-in-nuclear-fusion

Yesterday, North Korea's official state media reported that the country had successfully carried out nuclear fusion, the holy grail of cheap, clean energy that has heretofore eluded every other scientist ever. North Korea described their success in creating a "unique thermo-nuclear reaction device," going beyond the mere demonstration of the process, which several teams have accomplished before. The announcement coincided with the birthday of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung. A world-changing scientific breakthrough? Best birthday present ever!
But the rest of the world has received the report with skepticism. The BBC was quick to remind that "North Korea is one of the world's poorest countries and struggles to generate enough electricity for lighting and other basic needs."
A South Korean nuclear expert quoted by Reuters was somewhat cheekier in his dismissal: "Maybe if two suns show up in the sky tomorrow, then people could believe the claim." If you were a nuclear physicist, you'd know that's a real zinger. URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8676678.stm"]BBC[/URL
Image via Big Picture

Send an email to Kyle VanHemert, the author of this post, at [EMAIL="kvanhemert@gizmodo.com?subject=http://gizmodo.com/5538214/north-korea-claims-success-in-nuclear-fusion"]kvanhemert@gizmodo.com[/EMAIL].

Laboratory demonstrations of the process, known to release large amounts of energy, are nothing new.
But the North Koreans appear to be claiming to have gone much further, by building what they describe as a "unique thermo-nuclear reaction device".
'Highly unlikely'
The dream of overcoming the huge technical challenges to make nuclear fusion commercially viable has so far eluded scientists in Europe, America and China, but they continue to try because the prize is so great: a cheap and abundant source of energy with little environmental impact.
North Korea's claim that it has completed the fundamental research, putting the technology within its grasp, will be dismissed as highly unlikely unless concrete evidence is produced.

Exactly what is the point in trying (poorly) to proclaim you've discovered Fusion? Other than to keep your energy-starved populace complacent, I suppose.

RATM

You got it in one Overheal. I bet the propaganda machine will be telling the masses in July of North Korea's amazing football world cup win and how they are considered as the best in the world.

mike65

The only thing the North Koreans do to world quality is print fake dollar bills.

Colpriz

Im scepticaql too but.let the science speak for itself..then we can judge??? Lets face it, the USA paints countires as they want to for their own gains equally as they condem them too. Would the USA want somebody else a controller of cheap energy?

piby

Colpriz wrote: »

Im scepticaql too but.let the science speak for itself..then we can judge???

We need more people in the world with that attitude! Sadly many people speak for themselves and try get the science to prove them right :rolleyes:

Although as a scientist, albeit a biologist, I'd be highly skeptical of this supposed achievement. Nuclear fusion is a lot farther off reality than its proponents and supporters would have you believe.

I'd say the North Koreans are just trying to divert the world's attention away from the fact that a lot of their countrymen aren't far off starving.

Colpriz

piby wrote: »

We need more people in the world with that attitude! Sadly many people speak for themselves and try get the science to prove them right :rolleyes:

Although as a scientist, albeit a biologist, I'd be highly skeptical of this supposed achievement. Nuclear fusion is a lot farther off reality than its proponents and supporters would have you believe.

I'd say the North Koreans are just trying to divert the world's attention away from the fact that a lot of their countrymen aren't far off starving.

I agree with you..but we have to adopt an attitude of lendence to non prolific economies. Not everybody produces fossil fuels and they are at most running short. We have seen bad timess of oil price rises, wars over oil territories etc etc. Its time to collaborate on this 'one world issue'. Oil means energy, energy means production, production means economical growth, drive and strenght. USA are the biggest consumer of oil after China, they wont give a fak about smaller countries when the last barrels run dry. Maybe they will sell their reserves at millions a dollar per barrel to us..we are back to eating potatoes and burning the forests we have decimated. I dont want to sound all eco man 'tie myself to a tree' coz Im not but I worry about the future for the generations we want to lay before us. Ireland has seen rapid changes from occupations, invadings etc to booming ecominic growth. But we dont spend this fortune on developing our future as a nation as a people who have struggled against some odds. We may be a small country with little resources but we can pack a punch with the right homegrown leadership, vision & investment and stop licking the asses off other big nations. They have their own big wars to fight over ****. We develop our own while they fiend each other. Ireland should never come under the embrace of political subordiance ever again.

sceptre

piby wrote: »

I'd say the North Koreans are just trying to divert the world's attention away from the fact that a lot of their countrymen aren't far off starving.

That^. All hail the most glorious dear leader. Considering the NK media service tells the populace that Kim Jong Il can control the weather based merely on how he's feeling, I'll take their announcement of viable commercial nuclear fusion with a bag of salt.

amacachi

Colpriz wrote: »

Im scepticaql too but.let the science speak for itself..then we can judge??? Lets face it, the USA paints countires as they want to for their own gains equally as they condem them too. Would the USA want somebody else a controller of cheap energy?

Yeah the US are masters of propaganda, but really, it's North Korea, they don't need to do anything.

Sleepy

sceptre wrote: »

That^. All hail the most glorious dear leader. Considering the NK media service tells the populace that Kim Jong Il can control the weather based merely on how he's feeling, I'll take their announcement of viable commercial nuclear fusion with a bag of salt.

Just a bag? I think you'd need a container ship full...

ChocolateSauce

I'm lovin' the thread title, Overheal Maybe the UN should send in Hans Brix to investigate?


Yeah, if they had really invented energy-producing Fusion, they could probably sell it for a few dozen trillion dollars....ah well.

Laminations

There are some odd news stories about recently.

Another one that I'm sceptical about (only because it throws out our entire understanding of the human body) is this Indian guy Prahlad Jani who claims he does not need food or water

But he was being 'examined' back in 2003??
Fasting fakir flummoxes physicians


The following statements always arouse suspicion. Anyone ever heard of Steorn??

Dr Vasana Reddy, the speaker of Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) told “We would like to keep the information confidential for the time being, but we shall share it when the results are established.

sron

Reports say that while The Great Leader was waiting for his golfing partner to finish off on the 2nd hole, he thought for a moment, picked up two atoms from the ground, and pressed them together in his hands, thereby carrying out nuclear fusion. The Great Leader recognised the achievement, but refused to get complacent, and finished the round 75 under par.

Iwasfrozen

sron wrote: »

Reports say that while The Great Leader was waiting for his golfing partner to finish off on the 2nd hole, he thought for a moment, picked up two atoms from the ground, and pressed them together in his hands, thereby carrying out nuclear fusion. The Great Leader recognised the achievement, but refused to get complacent, and finished the round 75 under par.

Source ?

sron

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Source ?

You know the saying, comrade: Doubts won't feed your children.

oppenheimer1

Nucrear Fusion :rolleyes:

Iwasfrozen

sron wrote: »

You know the saying, comrade: Doubts won't feed your children.

No I don't. Source ?