-----Original Message----- From: J. Marvin Herndon Sent: Tuesday, July 12, 2005 8:19 PM Subject: Teaching About Nature's Nuclear Reactors
Dear Jaro,
I am pleased to attach a new paper, intended for science teachers, entitled “Teaching About Nature’s Nuclear Reactors” and posted at http://arXiv.org/physics/0507088 . The paper introduces the subject of natural nuclear fission and describes some of methodology and ethical considerations that are inherently a part of well executed scientific investigations. In particular, the paper emphasizes the importance of discussing, debating, and challenging current thinking in a variety of areas. Enjoy.
I hope science teachers take note of it---because if more folks realized that nuclear energy is a natural process, then perhaps they would be a little more accepting of it.
Afterall, the very atoms that make up our bodies: the carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and phosphorus in our DNA were all forged in the death throws of both nova and supernova explosions, billions of years ago. The iron in our hemoglobin orginally came from the cores of massive stars!
All of the uranium and thorium that will ever be was orginally created in the hellish conditions near the inner core of a massive collapsing star--where shockwaves are so powerful that nuclei of iron could actually stick together to form more massive nucleii, absorbing energy from the plasma! All of the nuclear energy we derive from Uranium was originally 'encapsulated' in a supernova explosion long ago. It seems somehow fitting that whenever we burn a piece of wood, we release solar energy stored perhaps decades ago. When we burn gasoline in our cars, we a releasing solar energy stored millions of years ago. And when we fission uranium, we release solar energy (although not from our star!) stored billions of years ago!
I see nuclear energy as not only our past, but our future.