Going Nuclear

About the season

In 1961, an experimental reactor called SL-1 exploded at a federal research site in Idaho, killing three men. It’s still the deadliest nuclear reactor accident in U.S. history, and it happened not far from where Laura grew up. Using science, history and culture, she sizes up the real risks and promise of atomic energy, and asks whether we’re responsible enough to use it.

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1. 1
   Close to Home24 min

   Two dead men, one man missing, and a hole blown in the side of a reactor. The SL-1 accident feeds our deep fear of nuclear energy.

2. 2
   Out of Little Things28 min

   How did we figure out that a tiny particle held all that power? A primer on atomic energy, with a basic lesson in nuclear physics.

3. 3
   A New(clear) Hope25 min

   After World War II, we started to experiment with using atomic energy for good, and thousands of men arrived in Idaho.

4. 4
   Chain Reaction21 min

   Personal problems at a reactor run by the military but falling apart: what does it mean when you’re working with nuclear materials?

5. 5
   Trust Issues25 min

   The only three people who knew what happened at SL-1 were dead, and rumors took hold. A love triangle? A cover-up?

6. 6
   You Look Radiant32 min

   A plume of radioactive gas drifted over the Idaho desert. How much risk did it pose, and what does radiation do to the human body?

7. 7
   Half-Life27 min

   SL-1 highlighted a problem we still haven’t solved: what to do with nuclear waste.

8. 8
   Risky Business28 min

   Chernobyl and Fukushima come to mind, but such events are rare. How good are we at assessing the risks of atomic power?

9. 9
   An Atomic Future33 min

   Nuclear power is a shrinking part of America’s energy picture, yet it could be a bulwark against climate change. Can we make it work for us?

• •
  Mutants26 min

  Meltdowns, nuclear-powered spacecraft and cosmic rays: fiction, fact, or a little of both?

• •
  Transparency and Trust with Sarah Robey47 min

  Historian Sarah Robey on secrecy and the public’s right to know in the history of nuclear fission.

• •
  Atomic History with Richard Rhodes73 min

  Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Rhodes, author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, on the history leading up to the Manhattan Project.

• •
  The Legacy of Three Mile Island with Natasha Zaretsky25 min

  Historian Natasha Zaretsky, author of Radiation Nation, on the complicated legacy of Three Mile Island.

• •
  Homemade Reactors with Ken Silverstein27 min

  Journalist Ken Silverstein on David Hahn, the teenager who tried to build a nuclear reactor in his backyard.

• Boston Globe12 gripping podcasts for the road
• Vice · MotherboardAmerica’s complicated relationship with nuclear power
• High Country NewsNew Western podcasts
• KCRW · Press PlayInterview with Madeleine Brand
• WestwordLaura Krantz simplifies science
• CPR · Colorado MattersLive interview
• Boise State Public Radio · Idaho MattersLive interview
• The Lever · Lever TimeInterview with David Sirota

All press & appearances →

• Season 1: Bigfoot2018
• Season 2: Space Invaders2020
• All podcastsWild Thing and more