The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?
July 16, 2025
44 min
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1,767 of 2,031
July 16, 2025
The bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?
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44:22This episodeThe bomb (part 1): were nuclear weapons inevitable?
Summary
<p>Where did the world’s most devastating weapon come from? In a four-part series, we go behind the scenes at America's nuclear laboratories to understand how a scientific-mystery story about the ingredients of matter led to a world-changing (and <a href="https://www.economist.com/interactive/archive-1945?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=babbage&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">second-world-war</a>-ending) bomb less than five decades later. </p><br /><p>Nuclear weapons have been central to geopolitical power ever since. Now America is seeking to modernise its stockpile and, in doing so, its scientists are pushing the frontiers of extreme physics, materials science and computing.</p><br /><p>In episode one, we look at the birth of nuclear physics—the science that emerged early in the 20th century to answer a mystery: what is an atom actually made of?</p><br /><p>Host: Alok Jha, <em>The Economist</em>’s science and technology editor. Contributors: Frank Close, a physicist and author of “Destroyer of Worlds”, a history of the birth of nuclear physics; Cheryl Rofer, a chemist who used to work at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); and Nicholas Lewis, a historian at LANL.</p><br /><p>This episode features archive from the Atomic Heritage Foundation. </p><br /><p>Listen to episode two <a href="https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2025/07/23/the-bomb-part-2-the-atomic-town" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br /><p><em>Transcripts of our podcasts are available via </em><a href="http://economist.com/podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>economist.com/podcasts</em></a><em>.</em></p><br /><p><em>This is a free episode. To continue listening to “The Bomb”, you’ll need to subscribe.</em></p><br /><p><em>Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—</em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribe to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>.</em></p><br /><p><em>For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video </em></a><em>explaining how to link your account.</em></p><hr /><p style="color: grey; font-size: 0.75em;"> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="color: grey;" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>