> But perhaps the biggest change in the past five years that’s transformed fusion from a “hear we go again” pipe dream to a not-so-distant-future possibility is, simply put, that people are beginning to believe.
Hype is not scientific progress. It’s just hype.
johnp299 on
Fusion articles are the bread and butter for science writers looking for something to do.
WhiteRaven42 on
…. well, it’s not like it’s possible we could somehow be farther from it.
But no, there is actually no visible path to power generation using fusion. It’s a catch-22. All the major milestones currently being met deal with containment and stability… which when achieved in effect make it impossible to *access* that energy. To harvest energy, you have to have a way to let it out but all the focus now is in making sure it doesn’t get out.
There’s not even a *theory* of how to harness power while maintaining stable containment… they are contradictory goals.
Jaco_Belordi on
Popular Mechanics really digging for an article this month, eh?
Astrogalaxycraft on
Don’t believe this, it’s just the same bullshit they tell us to justify the inversion every 2-3years. We are not close fusion reactors to be energy viable.
honorspren000 on
I remember reading a Wired article in the late 90s about unlimited fusion energy being right around the corner.
Trog-City8372 on
If there was limitless abundant energy what makes people think that common folk would ever benefit? In the US massive amounts of taxes are paid to oil companies just for advertising, even though people are going to pay for gasoline anyway. China is running 22nd century trains while we’re still running trains that went faster in the 19th century.
Tevatrox on
That’s like saying cave men were „closer than ever to building a star on earth“ after they learn how to make fire. *eyeroll*
ThSplashingBlumpkins on
I mean.. im „closer than ever“ to being a billionaire too..
UnkindredSpiritz on
There is no such thing as unlimited energy. Stop propagating this stupidity.
cyberentomology on
Can we ban the phrase “closer than ever”? We’re *always* “closer than ever” to things in the future, it’s a meaningless phrase.
Narf234 on
I can’t wait to be able to heat my home exclusively with toasters.
wwarnout on
Well, of course. In fact, we are closer than ever to [insert goal here].
That’s basically how time works.
thegabe87 on
It will be just a more efficient way to boil water, not infinite energy
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Scientists shattered fusion limits yet again, meaning once-unimaginable technology is now within reach.
For billions of years, the sun reigned supreme as the only [fusion](https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a62681918/how-does-nuclear-fusion-work/) reactor in our solar system, leveraging its immense gravitational pressure and intense heat to overcome an atomic nuclei’s natural repulsive tendencies. And then, something strange happened: big-brained primates on Earth, called humans, decided to try their hand at this whole [fusion](https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a69698313/cold-criticality-unlimited-clean-energy/) thing, using an ingenious donut-shaped invention called a tokamak. Now, a new kind of star is on the cusp of creation—and it holds the promise of providing near-limitless [energy](https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/energy/a69808441/electricity-from-triboelectrification/) for Earth’s 8 billion inhabitants.
> But perhaps the biggest change in the past five years that’s transformed fusion from a “hear we go again” pipe dream to a not-so-distant-future possibility is, simply put, that people are beginning to believe.
Hype is not scientific progress. It’s just hype.
Fusion articles are the bread and butter for science writers looking for something to do.
…. well, it’s not like it’s possible we could somehow be farther from it.
But no, there is actually no visible path to power generation using fusion. It’s a catch-22. All the major milestones currently being met deal with containment and stability… which when achieved in effect make it impossible to *access* that energy. To harvest energy, you have to have a way to let it out but all the focus now is in making sure it doesn’t get out.
There’s not even a *theory* of how to harness power while maintaining stable containment… they are contradictory goals.
Popular Mechanics really digging for an article this month, eh?
Don’t believe this, it’s just the same bullshit they tell us to justify the inversion every 2-3years. We are not close fusion reactors to be energy viable.
I remember reading a Wired article in the late 90s about unlimited fusion energy being right around the corner.
If there was limitless abundant energy what makes people think that common folk would ever benefit? In the US massive amounts of taxes are paid to oil companies just for advertising, even though people are going to pay for gasoline anyway. China is running 22nd century trains while we’re still running trains that went faster in the 19th century.
That’s like saying cave men were „closer than ever to building a star on earth“ after they learn how to make fire. *eyeroll*
I mean.. im „closer than ever“ to being a billionaire too..
There is no such thing as unlimited energy. Stop propagating this stupidity.
Can we ban the phrase “closer than ever”? We’re *always* “closer than ever” to things in the future, it’s a meaningless phrase.
I can’t wait to be able to heat my home exclusively with toasters.
Well, of course. In fact, we are closer than ever to [insert goal here].
That’s basically how time works.
It will be just a more efficient way to boil water, not infinite energy