Episode 7 - Peace is a process we have to earn

On the heels of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Japanese anti-nuclear advocacy group Nihon Hidankyō, Naomi Satoh returns to discuss her in-progress illustrated novel based on personal and familial oral histories gathered from survivors of the 1945 bombings over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Episode 6 - With nuclear fusion, the future of clean energy is bright. It's also made world annihilation more possible

Since the 1970s, physicists have worked on developing nuclear fusion as a clean, carbon-free, inexhaustible fuel source. Essentially building a big star on Earth, the United States and other nuclear powers have also used the technology to make nuclear weapons exponentially more powerful. Princeton …

Episode 5 - Next-gen astrophysicists on the imposing threat of nuclear war—and why not voting in 2024 is not an option

Three astrophysicists in training discuss how they're processing the science, policy and politics of nuclear weapons leading up to the 2024 election.

Episode 4 - Star Wars: Iran and the fantasy of ballistic missile defense

The United States has spent $400 billion on developing and testing weapons designed to neutralize an attack. All signs point to a fool's errand, particularly in the event of a nuclear strike. Matt Caplan joins this episode with Fred Lamb, professor of physics, astronomy and arms control at the Univ…

Episode 3 - The human cost of Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project should be a cautionary tale. The U.S. is ramping up nuclear testing anyway.

J. Robert Oppenheimer chose a remote spot in south central New Mexico to build and test the world's first atomic bomb. The people who lived in the surrounding Tularosa Basin were not asked for permission or warned of the risk posed to their health and safety. Nearly 80 years later, proposed legisla…

Episode 2: Nuclear winter scenarios suggest the only winning move is not to play

On this episode of WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs, you'll hear from climatologist Lili Xia of Rutgers University. Xia was the leading author on a landmark 2022 research paper in Nature Food detailing climate models and the potential for widespread famine in the aftermath of a nuclear conflict.

Episode 1: The threat of nuclear war is higher than ever. Why has it vanished from political campaigns?

WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast examines the history, science and policy behind the United States nuclear program—and why the threat of a nuclear conflict is as high as it’s ever been. The first episode explores the current presidential candidates’ platforms—or lack thereof—on nuclear weapons,…

Coming soon: WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast

WGLT’s Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast features conversations with leading scholars and policy advocates on the real and hypothetical impacts of nuclear war. New episodes each month start September 2024.