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    Humans Are Closer Than Ever to Building a Star on Earth—And Unlocking Unlimited Energy
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    Humans Are Closer Than Ever to Building a Star on Earth—And Unlocking Unlimited Energy

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    1. talkingatoms on

      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.

    2. Simmery on

      > 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. 

    4. 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.

    6. 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.

    7. honorspren000 on

      I remember reading a Wired article in the late 90s about unlimited fusion energy being right around the corner.

    8. 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.

    9. 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*

    12. 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.

    15. wwarnout on

      Well, of course. In fact, we are closer than ever to [insert goal here].

      That’s basically how time works.

    17. Hot-mic on

      Article is paywalled, but I got to it anyways. They pretty much lost me at “In recent years, these reactors have contained plasmas for hundreds of seconds or even a few dozen minutes at blistering 100-degree Celsius temperatures.” – Popular Mechanics, everybody.