Nukes

The Russian Orthodox Church is an important part of religious life in Russia. For the past two decades, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the church a cornerstone of public life. As the church grew in power, it also grew closer to Russia’s military. That meant public rituals blessing weapons.…

Key point: The Nimitz-class flattops were built to serve for a half-century, which means the Nimitz is scheduled for retirement in the 2020s.Giant aircraft carriers have become synonymous with U.S. military power, but many do not realize just how exceptional these vessels are.These floating air bases are loaded with dozens of…

Hello Nature readers, would you like to get this Briefing in your inbox free every day? Sign up here Credit: Rocco Ceselin for Nature The best science images of the monthGoogle’s Sycamore processor made headlines last year when scientists said they had achieved ‘quantum supremacy’ — carrying out a calculation…

Key point: Killing a top general of a non-nuclear weapons state is risky enough.The missile strike happened in the dead of night, when millions of Iraqis were either sleeping or retiring for the evening. The plane carrying Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani touched down at Baghdad International Airport just after…

Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant has been in operation for almost ten years.Credit: Majid Asgaripour/AP/Shutterstock Iran has accumulated 1,200 kilograms of enriched uranium — more than doubling the stockpile it had just three months ago, according to a statement from a senior official at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran…

Wildlife inspectors seized 1,400 pounds of dried shark fins at a Miami port, CBS News reported.While it's not illegal to sell shark fins in the US, the shipment contained species protected in the US.Activists have lobbied Congress to ban the sale of shark fins nationwide.Visit Business Insider's homepage for more…

Photo credit: Los Alamos National Laboratory/Harvey Klehr/New York TimesFrom Popular MechanicsHistorians have unmasked a fourth Soviet spy who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory during nuclear bomb development in the 1940s.Los Alamos is still one of the foremost nuclear research facilities in the world.The fourth spy was much more involved…

Key Point: There are even rumors of Ukrainetowns in some Chinese cities founded by the large number of expats hired by Chinese firms. While Ukraine renounced its own possession of nuclear weapons in 1994, many scientists and design bureaus in the country sti…

Key Point: With the advent of nuclear power and the guided missile, the seemingly goofy idea of a heavy surface-attack submarine became an impressive and chilling reality.A century ago submarines presented as much of a challenge for naval war planners as drones do today. Like airborne and surface stealth decades later,…

Key Point: Once the nuclear threshold is crossed, the only possible response would be nuclear. In the event of a war on the Korean peninsula, how would the United States respond to the use of a tactical nuclear weapon on the battlefield that was not aimed at…