Colloquium Abstract With the end of the Cold War, the public, activists and our government thought the danger from nuclear weapons was on a glide path to zero and those concerned about existential threats turned to other issues, notably global warming. Unfortunately, we were wrong.  Russia has made nuclear threats to keep NATO from intervening against […]

Colloquium Abstract  Eighty years ago, physicists first worked out what it would take to build a simple nuclear weapon and the immediate effects of its use. Five years later, theory and experiment became devastating facts as the United States built, tested, and then used the first nuclear weapons to destroy cities. Today, there are nine […]

Abstract  The United States, Russia, and China are engaged in the early phases of a new nuclear arms race and Russia and NATO are engaged in a nuclear-tinged war in Ukraine. With the recent shredding of arms-control agreements, the arms races may proceed unfettered and could lead to unprecedented dangers to humanity. On the other […]

Abstract The United States, Russia, and China are engaged in the early phases of a new nuclear arms race, while Russia and NATO are engaged in a nuclear-tinged war in Ukraine. With the recent shredding of arms-control agreements, a three-way arms race may proceed unfettered and could lead to unprecedented dangers to humanity. On the […]

Abstract Despite shrinking significantly at the end of the Cold War, the world nuclear weapon arsenals continue to represent a significant threat to humanity. About 14,000 nuclear weapons are still deployed or in reserve and other 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles are ready to be launched within minutes. Recent trends indicate the risks of nuclear war […]

Abstract The film Oppenheimer barely hints at the debate among the Manhattan Project physicists on “the impact of the Gadget on Civilization” and their efforts to influence the decision on using nuclear weapons against Japan. It also does not explain that Oppenheimer’s “trial” and termination as a government advisor was due to his opposition to […]

Colloquium Abstract  The world is in a precarious place right now and nuclear risk is higher than it has been in decades. The war in Ukraine has brought latent fears about nuclear war back to the surface. In recent years, the US has withdrawn from several arms control agreements that constrained US and Russian arsenals, and […]

Abstract The immense risks nuclear weapons pose to all humanity are still very much with us. The destructive power in the thousands of nuclear weapons in existence threaten human civilization as we know it. In fact, trends indicate the risks are acute and growing: hard-won arms control agreements are being abandoned, nuclear weapons-possessing states are […]