Electricity
12% of the planets electricity comes from nuclear energy
Creating electricity from nuclear energy is a long process which has various aspects to it, both positive and negative. The following video is an excellent explanation of how nuclear power works as well as what it's like inside power plants and how uranium rods are disposed of:
In an nutshell however, electricity is created through the nuclear energy process of fission. Rods are filled with the isotope of uranium, U-235. These fuel tubes are then placed in the reactor where they are separated by water which turns into steam due to the massive amount of heat the process of fission is creating. This steam drives a turbines which is what ultimately creates the electricity.
According to the World Nuclear Association: "As of March 1, 2011, there were 443 operating nuclear power reactors spread across the planet in 47 different countries". Nuclear energy is becoming more of a popular choice because it's a good alternative to fossil fuels which are quickly running out. However there are a lot of people who are heavily against it due to various reasons. One of them is that the mining to acquire the rock Uranium is taken from (as seen in the video) is definitively not a green process, sending a lot of green house gases into the atmosphere as well as well as damaging the natural habitat the rock is taken from. Also, in case of an accident, the results can be catastrophic. For example in 2011 there was nuclear meltdown at a power plant in Fukushima after an earthquake and then tsunami affected the area. The effects were colossally damaging to the environment and it made a large area around it uninhabitable. Another point, which can be seen at the very end of the video, is that once the uranium rods are used, these have to be disposed of. These, however, are so hot after being used that they have to remain in water for several years before being dug underground. This whole process is criticised for being unsustainable, since all these rods are ultimately waste that will contaminate the ground.
According to the World Nuclear Association: "As of March 1, 2011, there were 443 operating nuclear power reactors spread across the planet in 47 different countries". Nuclear energy is becoming more of a popular choice because it's a good alternative to fossil fuels which are quickly running out. However there are a lot of people who are heavily against it due to various reasons. One of them is that the mining to acquire the rock Uranium is taken from (as seen in the video) is definitively not a green process, sending a lot of green house gases into the atmosphere as well as well as damaging the natural habitat the rock is taken from. Also, in case of an accident, the results can be catastrophic. For example in 2011 there was nuclear meltdown at a power plant in Fukushima after an earthquake and then tsunami affected the area. The effects were colossally damaging to the environment and it made a large area around it uninhabitable. Another point, which can be seen at the very end of the video, is that once the uranium rods are used, these have to be disposed of. These, however, are so hot after being used that they have to remain in water for several years before being dug underground. This whole process is criticised for being unsustainable, since all these rods are ultimately waste that will contaminate the ground.
Nuclear Weapons
Nuclear energy: used for killing
There are four types of weapons of mass destruction: chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear.
Also known as atomic bombs or atom bombs, nuclear weapons use either fission alone or a combination of fission and fusion to create a nuclear reaction. This creates a massive explosion by releasing great amounts of energy that come from what could be seen as relatively small amounts of matter. More simply put, a nuclear weapon, when triggered, will suddenly release the energy found in the nucleus of certain atoms, commonly uranium and plutonium isotopes; being able to create an explosion big enough to destroy a whole city in a matter of seconds.
Nuclear weapons naturally release vast amounts of radiation during this process, most of it in the form of X-rays, which heat the air and produce a very big, nuclear fireball. This fireball is expanding so quickly it creates shock waves powerful enough to destroy buildings and houses kilometres away from the area reached by the explosion. If the radiation does not kill the humans in contact with it straight away, then it will most likely cause mutations that will affect their DNA and give the human either cancer or radiation poisoning, both fatal diseases. If the person doesn't die or doesn't have any of these illnesses then there is still the possibility that they carry this mutation with them and pass it on to their children who could be born with deformities and other health problems because of this.
The United States created the first atomic bombs during World War II, and used them against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cities of Japan. To this day these are the only times nuclear weapons haver ever been used in combat.
Also known as atomic bombs or atom bombs, nuclear weapons use either fission alone or a combination of fission and fusion to create a nuclear reaction. This creates a massive explosion by releasing great amounts of energy that come from what could be seen as relatively small amounts of matter. More simply put, a nuclear weapon, when triggered, will suddenly release the energy found in the nucleus of certain atoms, commonly uranium and plutonium isotopes; being able to create an explosion big enough to destroy a whole city in a matter of seconds.
Nuclear weapons naturally release vast amounts of radiation during this process, most of it in the form of X-rays, which heat the air and produce a very big, nuclear fireball. This fireball is expanding so quickly it creates shock waves powerful enough to destroy buildings and houses kilometres away from the area reached by the explosion. If the radiation does not kill the humans in contact with it straight away, then it will most likely cause mutations that will affect their DNA and give the human either cancer or radiation poisoning, both fatal diseases. If the person doesn't die or doesn't have any of these illnesses then there is still the possibility that they carry this mutation with them and pass it on to their children who could be born with deformities and other health problems because of this.
The United States created the first atomic bombs during World War II, and used them against Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cities of Japan. To this day these are the only times nuclear weapons haver ever been used in combat.
Radiotherapy
Nuclear energy: used for healing
Just like radiation from nuclear energy can be used as a weapon to kill people and effectively cause cancer, it can also be used to heal cancer and treat tumours, all done through a process we call radiotherapy.
Basically what radiation does is it kills the cells that are actively dividing first, it doesnt pay as much attention to cells that are resting or cells that are dividing more slowly. The speed at which the cells will die depends on the amount and type of radiation that manages to reach the cell as well as how quickly the cell growth is occurring.
Cancer, according to this link, is: "the disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body." Which means that cancer cells are dividing several times quicker than normal cells, making the radiation kill them instead. However, even though the cancer cells are being killed, that doesn't the other ones are being left alone. Radiotherapy can damage damage the dividing cells of the normal tissue surrounding the area of cancer, creating unwanted side-effects. As quoted in this website, "Radiation therapy is always a balance between destroying the cancer cells and minimizing damage to the normal cells."
One way to minimise the level of harm of the normal tissues is to shoot various beams of radiation which will intersect at the tumour, allowing the malignant cells to die faster and the surrounding tissue to survive more, as seen in the picture to the right. In case this explanation wasn't clear, this website also explains it well when it says, "To spare normal tissues (such as skin or organs which radiation must pass through to treat the tumor), shaped radiation beams are aimed from several angles of exposure to intersect at the tumour".
Basically what radiation does is it kills the cells that are actively dividing first, it doesnt pay as much attention to cells that are resting or cells that are dividing more slowly. The speed at which the cells will die depends on the amount and type of radiation that manages to reach the cell as well as how quickly the cell growth is occurring.
Cancer, according to this link, is: "the disease caused by an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in a part of the body." Which means that cancer cells are dividing several times quicker than normal cells, making the radiation kill them instead. However, even though the cancer cells are being killed, that doesn't the other ones are being left alone. Radiotherapy can damage damage the dividing cells of the normal tissue surrounding the area of cancer, creating unwanted side-effects. As quoted in this website, "Radiation therapy is always a balance between destroying the cancer cells and minimizing damage to the normal cells."
One way to minimise the level of harm of the normal tissues is to shoot various beams of radiation which will intersect at the tumour, allowing the malignant cells to die faster and the surrounding tissue to survive more, as seen in the picture to the right. In case this explanation wasn't clear, this website also explains it well when it says, "To spare normal tissues (such as skin or organs which radiation must pass through to treat the tumor), shaped radiation beams are aimed from several angles of exposure to intersect at the tumour".