Can using thorium instead of uranium make nuclear energy safer?

Nov. 26, 2011   Leave a Comment  

Advocates of thorium to power nuclear plants say that the element is safer than uranium, and that its waste cannot -- like the plutonium waste of uranium fission -- be re-formulated for nuclear weapons. Thorium plants, they say, also wouldn't need containment domes like those pictured here because the reactors can't "melt down" and release radiation. (iStock)

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Earth Talk: Hybrids? Uranium?

June 1, 2009   1 Comment  

canyon70

Dear EarthTalk: With plug-in hybrid and electric cars due to hit the roads sometime soon, will there be places to plug them in besides at home? And if so, how much will it cost to re-charge? – Nicole Koslowsky, Pompano Beach, FL Gasoline-electric hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, are all the rage due to their [...]