George Takei  🏳️‍🌈🖖🏽Dec 15, 2022
Humans can be fallible, violence prone, dangerous to themselves, other species and the world, true.
But humans can also cooperate, achieve amazing feats, and even save the planet from devastation.
I considered this when I heard that 70 years after the first use of atomic fusion, humans have achieved *ignition* at the Lawrence Livermore Lab. That means more energy was produced from a fusion reaction than was used to power it. We have a long way to go, but this is a huge milestone! #Hope #Fusion
Show threadtichoDec 15, 2022

@georgetakei The sad part is that if and when this becomes a viable technology, it will be weaponized long before it is put to more wholesome uses.

"[...] dangerous to themselves, other species" indeed.

Show threadHendrik FlemingDec 15, 2022
@georgetakei @ticho fusion has been weaponized since 1952…
Show threadticho

@hfleming @georgetakei Huh, until just now, I always thought thermonuclear weapons used just nuclear fission, not fusion. Well, thanks to you, this day wasn't a complete waste, for I learned something. :)

Thanks!

Dec 15, 2022 at 3:45pmWeb
Show threadAndrew D.Dec 16, 2022
@ticho @hfleming @georgetakei IIRC the fusion is used mostly to boost the efficiency of the fission. We are theoretically capable of much larger weapons than the Tsar Bomba. Yay humanity.