At least 340,000 Americans died from radioactive fallout between 1951 and 1973
Domestic nuclear testing wreaked havoc on thousands of families.
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands. But new research shows that domestic U.S. nuclear tests likely killed more.
- The new research tracked an unlikely vector for radioactive transmission: dairy cows.
- The study serves as a reminder of the insidious and deadly nature of nuclear weapons.
Did Russia just launch a secret space weapon into orbit?
Russia has launched several so-called "inspector satellites" that could potentially be weaponized.
- U.S. intelligence recorded a Russian rocket deploying a mysterious object during a recent mission.
- It's possibly an inspector satellite, a spacecraft designed to repair, monitor and, potentially, destroy other satellites.
- Weaponized satellites would likely be used in the early stages of a large-scale conflict, U.S. intelligence reports.
Russia threatens ‘retaliation’ after U.S. declares plan to withdraw from arms treaty
On Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. will withdraw from the 1987 agreement unless Russia falls back into compliance.
- The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was an agreement between the Soviet Union and the U.S. to ban mid-ranged, nuclear-tipped missiles.
- Both Russia and the U.S. have accused each other of violating the pact in recent years.
- As it stands, Russia has 60 days to return to terms agreed upon in the deal or the U.S. will withdraw from the pact.
Yuri Orlov – The Cornell physicist who was arrested by the KGB and exiled to Siberia
The incredible story of a scientist who survived gulags, fighting to change his country and physics.
- Physicist Yuri Orlov fought for human rights during the Cold War.
- He was arrested by the KGB and exiled to Siberia.
- Orlov's story can inspire scientists to fight for their beliefs.
How game theory solves tough negotiations
Want to tax corporations without scaring them off, outsmart a calculating kid, or get rid of the world's nuclear warheads? Think like a game theorist.
I want something from you. You want something from me. How will we act out those agendas in a strategic situation? Unravelling and understanding this scenario is how game theorists make a living. Economist Roger Myerson, who co-won the Nobel Prize for his foundational work on game theory, defines it as "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers," and while the theory was born in the field of economics, it by no means stayed there. Today, game theory can be applied to everything from biology and international relations, to interpersonal relations like friendship and parenting. Here, philosopher and game theorist Kevin Zollman applies the science of strategic thinking to three questions: how can a parent get a kid to clean their room, how can we reduce the number of nuclear warheads in the world, and most pertinently in America at this moment: how would a game theorist respond to the Trump administration's corporate tax cuts? Kevin Zollman and Paul Raeburn are the authors of
SMARTER FASTER trademarks owned by The Big Think, Inc. All rights reserved.