Headline Roundup • December 12th, 2022
Scientists Achieve 'Breakthrough' on Unlimited Energy Source
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Scientists at a U.S. government laboratory in California reportedly took a big step toward producing an unlimited, clean energy source, according to the Energy Department.
Key Quotes: The scientists "made a breakthrough in the pursuit of limitless, zero-carbon power by achieving a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time," as first reported in an anonymously-sourced story from the Financial Times (Center bias) that was then confirmed by multiple news outlets.
In Layman's Terms: Scientists have long been working on developing nuclear fusion, the energy source that powers the sun. Successful nuclear fusion reactions require only a small amount of hydrogen to conduct and generate large amounts of energy without emitting carbon or lasting radioactive waste.
Where People Agree: Many sources across the spectrum highlighted the development as major and objectively positive. Many headlines emphasized that the scientists are based in the U.S., and how other scientists around the world have also been approaching the breakthrough.
Where People Disagree: Some framed fusion energy as a potential additional option alongside common energy sources. Others framed it as an outright replacement and solution in the context of pollution and climate change. CNN described it as a step to unleashing "an infinite source of clean energy that could help end dependence on fossil fuels." Some were outwardly critical. Bloomberg (Lean Left bias)'s energy columnist said on Twitter that he's "skeptical of surprisingly well-timed announcements by budget-starved laboratories about breakthroughs for technologies decades away." Updated 12/13/22 at 1:07 p.m. ET with the Energy Department's announcement.
Featured Coverage of this Story
CNN Digital
For the first time ever, US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain, a source familiar with the project confirmed to CNN.
The US Department of Energy is expected to officially announce the breakthrough Tuesday.
The result of the experiment would be a massive step in a decadeslong quest to unleash an infinite source of clean energy that could help end dependence on fossil fuels. Researchers for decades have attempted to...
The U.S. Department of Energy will announce on Tuesday that scientists at a national lab have made a breakthrough on fusion energy, the process that powers the sun and stars that one day could provide a cheap source of electricity, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
The scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California have achieved a net energy gain for the first time, in a fusion experiment using lasers, one of the people said. The FT first reported the experiment.
Fusion works when nuclei of two...
CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. government scientists have recently managed to make significant progress toward successfully utilizing fusion energy, according to The Financial Times.
Scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California managed to create net energy gain via a fusion reaction in the past two weeks, the FT reported Sunday, citing three people with knowledge of the experiment. Researchers have been attempting to produce more energy than they burn during fusion reactions, which power the sun, for 70 years; however, no reaction has produced more energy than it burns until now.
“Initial diagnostic...
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