1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to you stuff you should know from house stuff 2 00:00:04,320 --> 00:00:13,840 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:19,080 Speaker 1: Josh Clark. There's Charles to Chuck Bryant, there's Jerry's barrel laughs, 4 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: and this is stuff you should know. She gave us 5 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,480 Speaker 1: the all quick start. Yeah, like I don't want to 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: hear any more impression record. She knows that shuts me up, 7 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: or at least cuts off whatever conversation I'm chiding her. 8 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: It's great. I'm telling you. If we could release the 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: twenty seconds before each show as its own show, that 10 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: would be terrible. No one would care. No, we'd think 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: it was funny, and everybody else would be like, you 12 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 1: edit this out for a reason. Uh so, Chuck, how 13 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: you doing great? Have you ever been to Azen, Provence, France? No? 14 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: Is that a place? Yeah? No, I haven't. It is 15 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: a rustic little town in Provence, and it is strangely, 16 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: maybe even ironically in the non hipster use, but in 17 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: the actual Yeah, it's a word. Definition of the word 18 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: um also cite to one of the most futuristic engineering 19 00:01:17,160 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: projects humanity has ever undertaken. That's the sound that makes Oh, 20 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: I thought you're mocking me for being thrilled by the 21 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:28,199 Speaker 1: thought of this thing. No, it is kind of funny 22 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 1: that this thing is in a sleepy little town. It's 23 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: like a hamlet, maybe evencern in Switzerland. That's not in 24 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:35,800 Speaker 1: the city, is it. No, you can't build these things 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: in cities. That's whether in sleepy towns exactly because no 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 1: one knows they're being poisoned. Yeah, and you can push 27 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: the mare around pretty easy, exactly. This thing is called 28 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,679 Speaker 1: eider I t e R, which is an acronym for 29 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, which really gets to the 30 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: point across. Did you know the word acronym is an acronym. Hm, 31 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: that's not true. Okay, I just want to see how 32 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: long you would try and sort it out in your head. 33 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 1: I would have kept going on seconds. Maybe that would 34 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: have been a great joke. I could have just kept 35 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: it going. I'm not gonna tell you I would have 36 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,880 Speaker 1: been I would have it was maybe fifteen seconds, because 37 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: we've gotten that much more so. Now I wouldn't have 38 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 1: looked it up. I would have figured it out myself anyway. Either. 39 00:02:20,160 --> 00:02:25,520 Speaker 1: Is this colossal engineering project. Somebody compared it to the 40 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:31,920 Speaker 1: Pyramids at Giza. Yeah, that's that's exciting stuff. Sure. Um. 41 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: The thing is is it's a nuclear fusion reactor, and 42 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: it's the culmination of decades of attempts to create a 43 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,799 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion reactor because we got fission down and we'll 44 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: talk about the difference in a minute, Um, but fusion 45 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 1: has been very elusive, and nowhere is it more apparent 46 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: than in the either project. Because this thing is going 47 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: to cost an approximately fifty billion dollars when it's completed, 48 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: fifty billion dollars. They started. They're hoping to turn on 49 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 1: the switch in two thousand twenty, but it's looking like 50 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: two thousand twenty three or two thousand twenty four, and 51 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: it won't be starting to produce anything until the two 52 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: thousand forties at the earliest. So what's the point. I'll 53 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: tell you the point. If we can figure out nuclear fusion, Chuck, 54 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: the world's literally the world's energy problems will be solved 55 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:35,360 Speaker 1: for millennia. If we can just figure this out, we 56 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:42,279 Speaker 1: will have a almost no radio activity nuclear option um, 57 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:49,240 Speaker 1: almost limitless fuel supply, totally green clean, no pollution of 58 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: greenhouse emissions, and with plenty of energy to spare using 59 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: the already extant infrastructure we have to supply power, Like, 60 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: you don't have to completely rebuild everything. You can just 61 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: to the electrical cables outside. It'll be the exact same thing. Yeah, 62 00:04:07,320 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: you can just go to a nuclear fission reactor and 63 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: press the button that says fusion and it'll all of 64 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: a sudden joined atoms instead of split them exactly. That's 65 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: what the difference is. With fission, you're splitting atoms and 66 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: you're gaining energy from that. With fusion, you're smacking them 67 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: together and you're gaining even more energy because we're you're 68 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,000 Speaker 1: exploiting a different fundamental force. Yeah, and that I was 69 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: being coy. Clearly, there is no button because we would 70 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,479 Speaker 1: have pushed it a long time ago. And when I 71 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: say no pollution and no greenhouse emissions before the pedantic 72 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: among you right in we know that just even shipping 73 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:46,240 Speaker 1: something from here to there causes pollution and greenhouse emissions, 74 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: but we're talking about the the output of the reactor 75 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 1: itself is very green. So if you want to know 76 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: all about either, well we're gonna talk about it here there, 77 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,040 Speaker 1: because it's just you just can't talk about nuclear fusion 78 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: reactors and not mention either. But if you want to 79 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,600 Speaker 1: know a lot of out Either. There is a really 80 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: great article called A Star in a Bottle Um and 81 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 1: it's by a person named Rathi Katcha Duran durian Uh 82 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:10,840 Speaker 1: and it was written in the New Yorker not too 83 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: long ago. And man, it is every detail you want 84 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: to know about the Either project written really well. Um, 85 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,719 Speaker 1: and it's long, but it's totally worth the read. Yeah, 86 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:22,719 Speaker 1: it's all over the news lately. And for good reason. 87 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: You said a lot of energy. I have a stat 88 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna throw back to the old days here. Per 89 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 1: kilogram of fuel, if we're talking fusion and fission, fusion 90 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: produces four times more energy than fission. I saw seven. 91 00:05:40,360 --> 00:05:41,760 Speaker 1: It's probably one of the things where it's like four 92 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 1: to five to ten or something. I've found four times 93 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:49,600 Speaker 1: and ten million times more than coal, ten million times 94 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: the energy that's coal. And that's with equal fuel per 95 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: kilogram of fuel. It's just I mean, it is the future. Yeah. 96 00:05:58,000 --> 00:05:59,800 Speaker 1: And you can say, well that's great because we want 97 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,719 Speaker 1: eight team million times the amount of power that coal provides. 98 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 1: You can say, well, they're buddy. You can also bring 99 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: it backwards because you can supply an awful lot of power. 100 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:14,880 Speaker 1: Then with a lot less fuel. We're like, the advantage 101 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,160 Speaker 1: of nuclear fusion are mind boggling and and very few 102 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 1: uh downsides, which we'll get to, of course, but I mean, 103 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 1: like really genuinely, it's not just like some like here's 104 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 1: all the great stuff about it and just don't pay 105 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: attention to all these like really horrible aspects. Um Like, 106 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:34,800 Speaker 1: there really aren't too many downsides. The downside is we 107 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: are at this moment incapable of successfully creating a commercially 108 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: viable nuclear fusion reactor. That's right, But we've got an 109 00:06:45,320 --> 00:06:48,080 Speaker 1: understanding of what the challenges are ahead of us thanks 110 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:52,040 Speaker 1: to the last fifty or so years of really really 111 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: really smart physicists working on the problem of nuclear fusion. Uh. 112 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: And the great inspiration for nuclear fusion is the Sun. 113 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: The Sun and all stars like it are enormous, immense 114 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:10,880 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion reactors. So if you are building a nuclear 115 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: fusion reactor here on Earth, you're essentially creating a star, 116 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: and that is a very difficult thing to do. It 117 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: turns out, yeah, the sun creates and we talked about 118 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 1: the Sun in our very famous episode on the Sun. Um, 119 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: the sun creates six twenty million metric tons. It fuses 120 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 1: six million metric tons of hydrogen at its core every second. 121 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:37,480 Speaker 1: So every second at the Sun's core, it produces enough 122 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: power to light up New York City for a hundred 123 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: years New York City every second. And that's the Sun. 124 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: And all we want to do is do the same 125 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: thing on a much smaller scale. Create. I think the 126 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: guy knows this kid who built one in his garage 127 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: and he said he wanted to Chris saw this Ted talk. 128 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: He wanted to create a star in a box is 129 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: what he called it. Yeah, I've seen it, Like this 130 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: New Yorker called it a star in a bottle. Yeah. 131 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: This kid's name is Taylor Wilson, and uh, he's a 132 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: nuclear physicist and he's like sixteen and he created Yeah, 133 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 1: he he created a successful one. And the key, though, 134 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: is not to be able to create the fusion. That 135 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,800 Speaker 1: the key is to be able to harness enough plasma, 136 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:24,560 Speaker 1: which we'll get to at a high enough temperature and 137 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: density for there to be a net power gain. Right, 138 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: you can create fusion, but in order to get out 139 00:08:30,720 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: more than you're putting in is the only thing that matters. 140 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 1: Because what you want to do is create electricity exactly. 141 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:38,880 Speaker 1: That's there's two huge challenges right now to nuclear fusion. 142 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:42,920 Speaker 1: We pretty much understand it enough to start it going 143 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: and and get energy from it. The problem is is 144 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:49,480 Speaker 1: material science isn't at a point where it can build 145 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: a containment vessel to really house a thermonuclear reactor. And 146 00:08:56,559 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: then the other big obstacle is, like you said, net 147 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: energy gain, Like if you're putting in as much or 148 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: more energy then you're getting out of your nuclear reactor. 149 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: Then you're wasting energy, and it's the opposite of what 150 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:11,680 Speaker 1: you're supposed to be doing. Yeah, they're not just trying 151 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 1: to impress people with their science knowledge, no, but up 152 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,040 Speaker 1: to the trying to create energy. Up to now, though, Chuck, 153 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:20,920 Speaker 1: like every single thermonuclear reactor that's ever been built has 154 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: just been impressing people with knowledge. Like, they haven't gotten 155 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:30,880 Speaker 1: any net energy out of a single thermonuclear fusion reactor. 156 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: You see, I have that they have their right now, 157 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:39,440 Speaker 1: they're up to like tin uh presently they're at ten megawatts. Yeah, 158 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: and that's more than they put into a net gain 159 00:09:42,520 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: of tin megawatts currently. Everything I saw was when we 160 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: turned this thing on, it should have a net gain. 161 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: But I didn't see that they've actually done it. Yeah, 162 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,079 Speaker 1: tin megawatts now, and Eider is going to produce five 163 00:09:54,160 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: hundred megawatts once it's fully operational. So the the next 164 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 1: challenge then is this, if we're already getting a net 165 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: energy gain out of it, then that means that the 166 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: net energy gain is it's not sustainable. Like you said, 167 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,800 Speaker 1: you want to keep the thing going so you don't 168 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: have to keep starting from scratch to power it up. 169 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,440 Speaker 1: You wanted to basically be self sustaining, so you just 170 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: have to add a little more fuel. That's the dream. 171 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:25,880 Speaker 1: So let's talk about the history of of fusion reactors. Chuck. Yeah, 172 00:10:25,920 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: it kind of goes back to this guy named Lyman Spitzer. 173 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: He's a thirty six year old Princeton astrophysicist and this 174 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: was in the nineteen fifties and he was recruited to 175 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: work on the H bomb, and UH went out and 176 00:10:40,640 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: got a copy of of a of a paper that 177 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: was released from Germany, I think, right that Argentina. Argentina. Yeah, 178 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:52,480 Speaker 1: they announced that they had get that wrong. They had 179 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:57,960 Speaker 1: successfully built a fusion reactor, right. So he gets this paper, UH, 180 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:00,600 Speaker 1: goes on a ski trip, starts thinking about how he 181 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: can do this takes a little break from his job 182 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 1: building the H bomb and figures out, you know, I 183 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 1: think it's possible if we can harness this plasma. I 184 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: guess we should just go ahead and find what plasma is. 185 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,080 Speaker 1: Since we keep saying it, Well, there's there's the normal 186 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: three energy states that were familiar with, water, solid and gas, 187 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: liquid solid and gas. Right, there's a fourth one. It's plasma. 188 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:30,440 Speaker 1: And plasma is basically like an energetic gas where the 189 00:11:30,520 --> 00:11:34,719 Speaker 1: temperatures are so high that whatever atoms you put into it, 190 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 1: the electrons are stripped off and allowed to move around freely. Basically, 191 00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,040 Speaker 1: the surface of the Sun is plasma. That's that's what 192 00:11:42,080 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: plasma is. It's a gas. It's a roiling gas. It's 193 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 1: really hard to control and is really unpredicted, which is 194 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: when you want to see the Sun like that rippling, 195 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: weighty looking thing, that's plasma, right. And the reason the 196 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:56,199 Speaker 1: Sun manages to stay together is because it is enormously 197 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: massive and has a ton of gravity at its core. 198 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 Speaker 1: We don't have that advantage here on Earth. We don't, 199 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 1: so we try to make up for that by increasing 200 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 1: the temperature. That's right, And he was onto it way 201 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:09,200 Speaker 1: back then in the nineteen fifties. If we can just 202 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: harness this, we can just get hot enough. And he 203 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: created a tabletop device called the uh stellar rator and 204 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:19,880 Speaker 1: it was an a figure eight position. It was a 205 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: pipe and a figure eight uh, and this would keep 206 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:25,800 Speaker 1: things from banging into walls theoretically. Yeah, and he was 207 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,720 Speaker 1: onto something because well, we'll get to lock youed later. 208 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:34,000 Speaker 1: But they're using a similar device now figure eight. Oh yeah. Yeah, 209 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: we didn't realize that it is, which is weird because 210 00:12:37,400 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 1: what they eventually found out was that a donut shape 211 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: was really the key, uh to get that net gain. 212 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: So the and the reason that they found out that 213 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: a donut shape worked was because in the I think 214 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 1: the late fifties, UM, the US had run up against 215 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: the wall. They're saying like, okay, we we've got this, 216 00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,439 Speaker 1: but we can't control of the plasma because think about it, 217 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: what you're trying to do is create a star inside something, 218 00:13:03,280 --> 00:13:06,040 Speaker 1: but it can't touch any of the vessel that it's 219 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: in or else it'll just completely erupt it. Right. Yeah. 220 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: They compared it to holding jelly and rubber bands. Right. 221 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 1: It was just like you can't they couldn't figure out 222 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,439 Speaker 1: how to control the plasma. So when when the US 223 00:13:19,600 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: ran up against this wall, they said, hey, the rest 224 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:25,760 Speaker 1: of the world, we're gonna declassify what Lyman Spitz Lyman 225 00:13:25,760 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: Spitzer has been doing, and like, we'll share if you 226 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: guys share. And it turns out that the Russians had 227 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: um already come up against this problem and licked it. 228 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: They figured out that if you put the thing in 229 00:13:38,160 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: a what's called the toroidal shape, a donut shape um 230 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:48,439 Speaker 1: using electro magnets, you contame the plasma essentially, and the 231 00:13:48,440 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: the the donut shape itself was pretty ingenious, but the 232 00:13:52,640 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: real stroke of genius was by running electro magnets in 233 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: rings around the donut. So it's like you you have 234 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: a donut and you put a bunch of earrings around it, right, 235 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: and those are electromagnets. So you're creating an electro magnetic 236 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 1: force field which contains the plasma. But then you also 237 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 1: put a an electro magnetic force field in the middle 238 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,439 Speaker 1: of the plasma. So not only does it heat it 239 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: up to the temperatures you want, it also stabilizes it further. 240 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,680 Speaker 1: So the Russians have invented what they call the tacomac um, 241 00:14:23,760 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: which is this doughnut shape nuclear fusion reactor that basically 242 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: became the standard for the next fifty years or so. Yeah, 243 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: you basically could achieve a really dense, super hot plasma. 244 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: And we'll get into temperatures and stuff in a bit. 245 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 1: But since we can't create that kind of pressure that 246 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,920 Speaker 1: they have in the Sun due to their gravity, their gravity, 247 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,680 Speaker 1: the Sun's gravity, you know, the Sun and all those people. Yeah, 248 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: like you said, we had to make up for it 249 00:14:51,080 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 1: here on Earth with temperatures, right, because apparently if you 250 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: are in a in the middle of a nuclear reactor, 251 00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: a nuclear fusion reactor, um, you're going to find that 252 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:06,040 Speaker 1: the temperatures inside are about six times hotter than the 253 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: core of the Sun, not even the services and the 254 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 1: core of the Sun. And the reason why it has 255 00:15:10,760 --> 00:15:12,440 Speaker 1: to be so much hotter is because, like you said, 256 00:15:12,560 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: we can't we can't replicate that density. We can get 257 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 1: to those temperatures that we need, but we can't get 258 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 1: to the density, so we have to make up for it. Um. 259 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: So we'll talk about kind of the physics of what's 260 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: going on here and why you have to have high 261 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,800 Speaker 1: temperatures and what we're making up for with density and everything, Right, 262 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 1: after this. So, Chuck, we're talking about nuclear fusion, and 263 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: there's it's actually surprisingly understandable at its most basic core. Yeah, 264 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: you're fusing atoms. Is not the hardest thing in the 265 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: world to wrap your head around. Yeah. So with fission, 266 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: we're splitting atoms. You're taking an atom and you're splitting 267 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: its nuclei apart. You're splitting the neutrons and the protons 268 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: apart from one another. And when you do that, one 269 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: of the four fundamental four is electromagnetic force pushes them 270 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: away and you get this burst of energy. With fusion, 271 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: you're taking nuclei from different atoms. You're taking protons and 272 00:16:11,440 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: um neutrons, and you're smashing them together. And when you 273 00:16:15,320 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: do that, you're unleashing what's called the strong force, which 274 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:23,920 Speaker 1: appropriately enough is stronger than electromagnetic force, which is why 275 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion yields more energy than nuclear fission. Yeah. Einstein 276 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: himself said, you know, each time you smash these things together, 277 00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 1: you're gonna lose a little bit of mass, and that 278 00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: little bit of mass is a ton of energy. As 279 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:39,760 Speaker 1: it turns out, that's right, The famous equals mc square. Yeah, 280 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: and I don't think he realized in nineteen o five, 281 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: or maybe Einstein did. Einstein probably did. Yeah, Einstein probably did. 282 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: I would guess he did. So the problem is, even 283 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: though it is very easy to smash the protons together, um, 284 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: there is a tremendous amount of resistance to that smashing together. 285 00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: They don't want to smash together, no, because it's just 286 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:02,960 Speaker 1: like if you take a magnet to magnets and you 287 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 1: put the positive polls toward one another, they repel one another, right, 288 00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:10,680 Speaker 1: the same thing. That's that's the same principle on an 289 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 1: atomic level too. If you take protons, which are positively 290 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:16,560 Speaker 1: charged particles, and try to put them together, they repel 291 00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: one another. And the closer you get them together, the 292 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:23,160 Speaker 1: stronger the the repellent force is the electromagnetic force, right, 293 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: But if you can get them close enough, the electromagnetic 294 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: force is overcome by that strong force, the strong nuclear force, 295 00:17:33,240 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: and they become bound together because the strong force is 296 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,120 Speaker 1: that one of those four fundamental forces of the universe, 297 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,120 Speaker 1: and that is the force that keeps atoms together, and 298 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 1: that is the that force is stronger than the force 299 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: that repels like charged particles. Yeah, and when you talk 300 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 1: about close, they need to be within one times ten 301 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:58,240 Speaker 1: to the negative fifteen meters of one another. If you'll 302 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 1: indulge me, sure, you're gonna read a bunch of zeros. 303 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:05,879 Speaker 1: It's point zero zero zero zero zero zero zero zero 304 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:11,240 Speaker 1: zero zero zero zero zero zero one meters apart, right, 305 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: that's how close they have to be. That's right, Uh, 306 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,280 Speaker 1: to get them to accept one another and to fuse. Um. 307 00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: I think I have a theory that if they they 308 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: are not fusing because they think they're going to be 309 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:24,440 Speaker 1: made into a bomb, and if we told them that 310 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: we're creating energy, they might be more willing to fuse together. Yeah, 311 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: because protons are peace necks. Everybody knows that. So when 312 00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: when they do fuse together, right, when you do cross 313 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: that threshold and the strong force takes over and overcomes 314 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: the electromagnetic force. Um, Like we said, a tremendous amount 315 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: of energy is released, and it's released in part in 316 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:52,520 Speaker 1: the form of neutrinos neutrons, right, which are right, neutral 317 00:18:52,880 --> 00:18:56,919 Speaker 1: particles which suddenly start carrying a tremendous amount of kinetic energy. 318 00:18:57,119 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: So let's say you have one atom, you've got another, 319 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:02,000 Speaker 1: add them and they're both like, I'm not getting close 320 00:19:02,040 --> 00:19:04,040 Speaker 1: to you. We're not going to get okay, we got 321 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: together that force that that mass that's displaced is transferred 322 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 1: through the neutron that gets kicked off of the atom 323 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: right and is carried out. Now, a neutron doesn't have 324 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:20,240 Speaker 1: any kind of positive or negative charts. It's neutral. It's 325 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:23,600 Speaker 1: a neutron, which means that it can pass through the 326 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:28,719 Speaker 1: very electromagnetic fields that are keeping this plasma where this 327 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:32,679 Speaker 1: reaction is taking place together. Once that happens, Chuck, it 328 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:34,679 Speaker 1: can go out to what's called a blanket wall and 329 00:19:34,720 --> 00:19:39,199 Speaker 1: a thermonuclear reactor warm it, and then that heat is 330 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:43,800 Speaker 1: transferred into a water cooling system. The waters warmed up 331 00:19:43,920 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 1: turns steam, which generates a which I guess moves the turbine, 332 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,320 Speaker 1: and then all of a sudden, the turbines producing electricity. Yeah, 333 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: it's funny how just it gets so complex. But all 334 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 1: you're still trying to do is create steam. It's like 335 00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,480 Speaker 1: a turbine. It's like cooking the eyes that's up to 336 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: a horse, right, you know, move it over there. So 337 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,879 Speaker 1: there are a few types of fusion reactions. Um the 338 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: ultimate goal right now, what we can do on a 339 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: small scale is what's called a uh deuterium tritium reaction. 340 00:20:18,520 --> 00:20:20,840 Speaker 1: That's the one that we can currently achieve. That's one 341 00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: atom of deuterium and one atom of tritium combining to 342 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: form a helium four atom and a neutron. The ultimate goal. 343 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,320 Speaker 1: I mean, that's good and that will create a lot 344 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,120 Speaker 1: of energy, but there are a few downsides. Tritium is radioactive. 345 00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,960 Speaker 1: For one, um, you have to mind it from lithium. Yeah, 346 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,479 Speaker 1: and lithium is fairly rare um. The ultimate goal is 347 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:45,200 Speaker 1: to to reach deuterium deuterium reactions, which is two deuterium 348 00:20:45,240 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: atoms combining to form that helium three in a neutron. 349 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: And you can get that from the sea water. It's abundant, 350 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,639 Speaker 1: almost limitless um. And I couldn't find this, but I 351 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:59,920 Speaker 1: think clean water can be a residual effect of that. 352 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: Am I wrong? I don't know if it's if well, 353 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,760 Speaker 1: you're probably not injecting water, but to get the deuterium, 354 00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 1: I mean, desalination plants are the key to the future 355 00:21:10,359 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: as far as supplying the world with fresh water. Yeah, 356 00:21:13,720 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 1: I thought I saw somewhere where it was an actual byproduct, 357 00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: but yeah, but then I couldn't find it, so I'm 358 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: not sure if that's right or you know what, you 359 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 1: just chalk my memory. I feel like in a hydrogen 360 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,520 Speaker 1: powered car, water is one of the by products. So 361 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,120 Speaker 1: maybe so yeah, all right, don't quote me on that though. 362 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: Um at the very least, it's a great way to 363 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:35,080 Speaker 1: create energy, right and and what what's you also can 364 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:40,280 Speaker 1: get um tritium from helium, I believe so even now 365 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 1: with the the deuterium tritium reactions that we're working on, 366 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: there's there's already a there's a work around, you know, 367 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: like you can create a thermonuclear reactor that's a breeding 368 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:55,960 Speaker 1: reactor to where the byproduct helium can be used to 369 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: harvest more of the fuel you're using tritium. Yeah, aren't 370 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 1: we running low on helium? We are? Which is like 371 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: remember when we were talking about in the dirigible the Zeppelin, 372 00:22:05,920 --> 00:22:09,760 Speaker 1: which one was how blimps work? Yeah, and then a 373 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: long time ago we did one on the Mars turbine. 374 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,399 Speaker 1: Mars turbine. But yes, there's very clearly helium shortage and 375 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: the idea that we're just using it for party balloons 376 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:25,480 Speaker 1: rather than this is scary. Yeah, And don't be confused. 377 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:28,320 Speaker 1: We say things like deuterium and it sounds super complex. 378 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:30,959 Speaker 1: All that is hydrogen with an extra neutron. Yeah, it's 379 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 1: an isotope. So there's three isotopes of hydrogen, and they're 380 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:38,480 Speaker 1: all still the same element. They're all still hydrogen, but 381 00:22:38,560 --> 00:22:42,119 Speaker 1: they have different configurations as far as their neutrons go. 382 00:22:42,800 --> 00:22:46,159 Speaker 1: So protium is a hydrogen isotope with one proton and 383 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:50,120 Speaker 1: no neutrons. Deuterium is a hydrogen isotope with one proton 384 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: and one neutron, and tritium is a hydrogenitri isotope with 385 00:22:53,880 --> 00:22:56,920 Speaker 1: one proton and two neutrons. And like you said, tritium 386 00:22:57,040 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: is radioactive, but the beauty of it is you need 387 00:23:00,280 --> 00:23:03,439 Speaker 1: very very very little of it to to fuel a 388 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion reactor, and it becomes a stable helium, a 389 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:12,760 Speaker 1: non radioactive helium in the reactor, so you don't have 390 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:17,080 Speaker 1: this leftover radioactive fuel. I think they said there's an 391 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:20,120 Speaker 1: it would be equivalent of the radiation we just see 392 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: every day, and I'm walking around on the street right Yes, 393 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: the background radiation. I believe I saw that too. The 394 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: thing is is the parts to the nuclear reactor themselves 395 00:23:29,760 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: will become irradiated over time. Apparently, though compared to the 396 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: kind of radio activity that's generated from nuclear fission um. 397 00:23:40,320 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 1: This stuff you could just disassemble and bury in the 398 00:23:42,560 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: desert for a hundred years, go back and dig back up, 399 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:49,439 Speaker 1: and it will be totally inactivated. So it's it's the 400 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: stuff that is radioactive is extraordinarily manageable. Yeah, it is. 401 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,439 Speaker 1: And UM, like I said, we don't want to make 402 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:58,600 Speaker 1: it sound like this is perfect. There is. They do 403 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: predict the short to medium term radioactive waste problem and 404 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: they say that's due to activation of the structural materials, 405 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: the actual thermonuclear device itself. Yeah, and while you don't 406 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: need much tritium, even a few grams of tritium is problematic. Um. 407 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: But hopefully you know, there's no accident, although they say 408 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: accidents with these um as. If you just turn the 409 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:26,880 Speaker 1: power off, it stops everything. It's not like a chain 410 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: reaction can occur like a fission reactor. There's no control. 411 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: There's not a meltdown. There's which Also, if you want 412 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:35,520 Speaker 1: to know more about that, go listen to our how 413 00:24:35,600 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: nuclear Meltdowns work UM episode. That was pretty good. We 414 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,959 Speaker 1: released it right after Fukushima. But it applies to all 415 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: fission um reactors. That's right. So the goal is ultimately 416 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:52,680 Speaker 1: deuterium deuterium reactions whether it does, and the reason why 417 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:54,880 Speaker 1: is again, it's abundant fuel. You can get it from 418 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:59,360 Speaker 1: desalinating sea water. And then um, secondly, it's not radioactive 419 00:24:59,359 --> 00:25:02,680 Speaker 1: at any point, so it wouldn't make the the thermonuclear 420 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,119 Speaker 1: reactor itself radioactive, that's right. The reason why we're not 421 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: doing that already is because we can't achieve the temperatures necessary, 422 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: that's right. Which leads us to the two big stumbling blocks. Um, 423 00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 1: everyone knows this is a great idea. There's no one 424 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:18,879 Speaker 1: out there saying, oh, I don't know about this fusion thing. 425 00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 1: Creating a star in a box sounds kind of weird. 426 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: The problem is the barriers that we have here on 427 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: planet Earth. Um. Which is one temperature into pressure. Uh. 428 00:25:31,560 --> 00:25:35,959 Speaker 1: We have achieved the temperature which is the requirements is 429 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: a one hundred million kelvin and like you said, that's 430 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,280 Speaker 1: about six times hotter than the Sun's core, which is 431 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: pretty intense. UM. And the other is pressure. Like we said, 432 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:48,239 Speaker 1: we need to get them within I'm not gonna make 433 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:51,399 Speaker 1: you read all those zeros again, but smashed them that 434 00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,560 Speaker 1: close in order to fuse, and since we don't have 435 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,040 Speaker 1: that kind of mass and gravity that the sun does. 436 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:00,440 Speaker 1: There are a few pretty genius way is that we're 437 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:05,440 Speaker 1: working around that. Uh yeah, there's basically two as it stands, 438 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: and then the Lockheed Martin one, which a lot of 439 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 1: people are skeptical about what we should say. It's kind 440 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,840 Speaker 1: of a variation on the on one theme. But there's 441 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: basically there's two ways that we've figured out to create 442 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion reactors so far. One is using magnetic confinement 443 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:26,720 Speaker 1: and the other is using inertial confinement. So magnetic confinement 444 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:31,399 Speaker 1: uses that tacomac technology. Yeah, it's sort of like CERN. 445 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: You know, it's using magnets to to create pressure. I 446 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:37,560 Speaker 1: guess in cerns case are using it to create speed, 447 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,280 Speaker 1: but in this case is to create pressure. Right, So 448 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:43,879 Speaker 1: what you're doing is is you have a UM, you 449 00:26:43,920 --> 00:26:47,119 Speaker 1: have this donut shaped chamber and that's your reaction chamber, 450 00:26:47,400 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: and then again rings around the donut that go on 451 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 1: around the inside and outside of the donut. I know, 452 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:57,320 Speaker 1: I'm kind of imagining wonderful donuts going Homer Sims in area. UM. 453 00:26:57,520 --> 00:27:03,000 Speaker 1: They create electromagnetic fields. Now, remember this plasma is hydrogen 454 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:06,000 Speaker 1: gas that's been heated up to a temperature so hot 455 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,240 Speaker 1: that the electrons just float off and move around freely, 456 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,080 Speaker 1: and because of this higher temperature, these particles have become 457 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: really really energized, so they're moving and bouncing all over 458 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:19,600 Speaker 1: the place, and the pressure is building up. But because 459 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: electrons are negatively charged and because protons are positively charged, 460 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: if you use alternating electromagnetic fields, you can contain this plasma. 461 00:27:28,440 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 1: So that's this incredibly hot gas that's six times hotter 462 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 1: than the core of the Sun can be contained within 463 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,800 Speaker 1: the electromagnetic fields. That's right. And Uh, we talked about 464 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 1: power and power out it need you need about seventy 465 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:46,840 Speaker 1: megawatts of power to create this to start this fusion reaction, 466 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:51,280 Speaker 1: but you're gonna yield about five hundred megawatts. That's the 467 00:27:51,359 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: Eider project, I believe. Yeah, that's the Ider and that's um. 468 00:27:54,520 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: That's only a three hundred to five hundred second reaction. 469 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: But like we said earlier, the eventual goal is that 470 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,640 Speaker 1: it's sustaining itself, uh, which is just a beautiful concept. 471 00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: So basically what they do is they have the the 472 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,879 Speaker 1: the gas is injected into the chamber, the hydrogen gas, 473 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 1: and then there's the electromagnetic fields that are holding the 474 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,679 Speaker 1: plasma place but then remember we said, the Russians figured 475 00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: out that if you put an electromagnetic field in the 476 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:24,639 Speaker 1: middle of the whole thing, it will stabilize that plasma, 477 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:26,600 Speaker 1: but it also heats it up, so it serves this 478 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,080 Speaker 1: double purpose. And then just to add a little extra temperature, 479 00:28:30,160 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 1: they shoot it with microwaves and some other stuff and 480 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 1: then heat it up. And then as the plasma goes 481 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 1: crazy and all the fusion energies released, the neutrons move 482 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 1: their way outside of the electromagnetic field into the blanket, 483 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,440 Speaker 1: which they heat up, and the heat energy is transferred 484 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,200 Speaker 1: to power that turbine to remove the horse down the 485 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 1: down the lane, and it's just creating steam. Yeah, and 486 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: there's I mean, that's like, that's what Ider is doing 487 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: right now. That's what they're trying to prove um. And 488 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: then also as iers spending billions and billions and billions 489 00:29:01,840 --> 00:29:05,720 Speaker 1: of dollars and running into tons of delays um. It's 490 00:29:05,720 --> 00:29:10,120 Speaker 1: an amazing project. Lockheed Martin basically just came out and said, oh, 491 00:29:10,200 --> 00:29:12,440 Speaker 1: by the way, this thing that you're trying to do, 492 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:17,480 Speaker 1: that's gonna be a hundred feet tall and require staggering 493 00:29:17,520 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: amounts of energy and money. We're doing one that puts 494 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 1: out the same amount of energy as yours, but it's 495 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:26,440 Speaker 1: a tenth of the size, which means it's almost out 496 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 1: of the gate commercially viable. Yeah. That is their skunk 497 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:33,560 Speaker 1: Works UM division of Lockheed. And they announced this like 498 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 1: three days ago, uh here in mid October. And um, 499 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 1: they've gotten a lot of blowback from the scientific community 500 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: because they wouldn't release data. They don't have data. They 501 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:47,000 Speaker 1: said it's a high beta device right now, and kind 502 00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:49,959 Speaker 1: of shut out the scientific community as far as questions go. 503 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: And um, every scientist that I saw interviewed for this said, yeah, 504 00:29:56,040 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 1: they're they're trying to get some attention, to get some 505 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:00,479 Speaker 1: partners to join in. Well, yeah, plus makes you want 506 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: to run out and buy Lockheed Martin stock because if 507 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: one company you can figure out how to create a 508 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:11,560 Speaker 1: thermonuclear fusion reactor here on Earth that's scalable. Yeah, that 509 00:30:11,640 --> 00:30:14,720 Speaker 1: that that that person would be very wealthy. Yeah. So 510 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: it's a dubious claim, but they are, you know, they're 511 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: working towards a good thing. I'm not like poopooing the 512 00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: whole thing. But until they have hard data and like 513 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,320 Speaker 1: some proof, then I think the scientific community has got 514 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:27,520 Speaker 1: their arms folded right now. Yeah, and and I mean 515 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:30,400 Speaker 1: they have at least some details. It's just not detailed 516 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,480 Speaker 1: enough for a scientist's detailed enough for Aviation Week. Yeah, 517 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:36,600 Speaker 1: they wrote an article on it. And basically what the 518 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: what the guy they interviewed was saying was that over 519 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: at either they have a low beta ratio, which is 520 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: the amount of electromagnetism that you need compared to the 521 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,480 Speaker 1: amount of plasma you can put into the chamber. So 522 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: there's like five percent plasma electromagnetivity or electromagnetism just to 523 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 1: keep this plasma thing from just blowing up, because that 524 00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: can happen. They might not melt down, but if everything 525 00:31:04,600 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 1: went wrong, the whole thing could blow up. Well, and 526 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: you know, you know what an atomic bomb is. It's 527 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:11,640 Speaker 1: it's a fusion reaction, right, and this is a lot 528 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:16,360 Speaker 1: of those all put together in one hundred foot um tower. Uh. 529 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,200 Speaker 1: This guy was saying that the beta ratio for their 530 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: machine is like So, what he was saying is they 531 00:31:23,720 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: figured out a way and again it's not very detailed, 532 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,360 Speaker 1: but they figured out a way to contain the plasma 533 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,360 Speaker 1: but in a way that also allows it to expand 534 00:31:33,880 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: because if you think about it, the more plasma there is, 535 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,560 Speaker 1: the more hydrogen atoms there are, the more hydrogen atoms, 536 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,640 Speaker 1: more isotopes there are, the more nuclear fusion reactions are 537 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:45,920 Speaker 1: events you can have, the more energy you can yield. Right, 538 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:49,120 Speaker 1: So they're saying they figured out how to contain the plasma. 539 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: But again, like you said, the scientific community is really 540 00:31:52,800 --> 00:31:55,719 Speaker 1: skeptical because they think it's just the pr singe. Well, 541 00:31:55,760 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: I think they made the mistake by saying they invented 542 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 1: a magic oometer to make it all happen, and that's 543 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,400 Speaker 1: the don't ask about it, right. I did see though, 544 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: that we're lockeed was using the figure eight in stelerator configuration. Uh, 545 00:32:11,160 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 1: And I think that's true. I tried. I found a 546 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: couple of more sources that were kind of vague about it, 547 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: and I think the details on it are just vague period. 548 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: But I don't know why they would amend in the 549 00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:22,520 Speaker 1: donut shaped if the figure eight was uh, you know, 550 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: nifties technology that's sort of been disproven. Well, supposedly, their 551 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,000 Speaker 1: whole jam was that the even in the doughnut in 552 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:34,640 Speaker 1: the Tacomac, this donut shaped reactor plasma has a tendency 553 00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:37,480 Speaker 1: to just move around and make its way out like 554 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 1: it's not. It's still not fully contained, and they're using 555 00:32:41,200 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: something basically mirrors to catch the plasma that's getting out 556 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:50,200 Speaker 1: and moving it to parts of the electromagnetic field that 557 00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:52,719 Speaker 1: are less dense. So there's a bunch of protons in 558 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: this part of the field that field is being strained, 559 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,520 Speaker 1: but then maybe there's not that many protons over here, 560 00:32:58,920 --> 00:33:01,320 Speaker 1: so they use mirrors to direct the protons to the 561 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 1: low density area to keep it all the field. Yeah, 562 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: even the whole thing out, which makes sense. But again, 563 00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 1: if you're not releasing data, don't expect the scientific community 564 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 1: to buy it. You got that right. So there's another 565 00:33:12,680 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: way to build a thermonuclear reactor that's currently being worked 566 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: on two and we'll talk about that right after this. So, buddy, 567 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,719 Speaker 1: magnetic confinement is pretty neat, and we talked about that, 568 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:36,640 Speaker 1: and that's uh understandable, and I love it. I want 569 00:33:36,640 --> 00:33:40,600 Speaker 1: to date it. But internal confinement I want to marry 570 00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,760 Speaker 1: because it has lasers. Um At the National Ignition Facility 571 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 1: at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, they are actually using laser beams. 572 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: They have a device called the n i F device 573 00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,320 Speaker 1: where they focus a hundred and nine two laser beams 574 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: on a single point in a ten meter diameter target 575 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:03,040 Speaker 1: chamber called a realm that's got to be German. And 576 00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,800 Speaker 1: basically inside that target chamber they have a little, tiny 577 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: pea sized pellet of deterium tritium in a little plastic cylinder. 578 00:34:10,640 --> 00:34:13,160 Speaker 1: It's funny that it can be plastic somehow. Yeah, you 579 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 1: think it would introduce like impurities or something into it, yeah, 580 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 1: or it would need to be like iron or something. 581 00:34:18,080 --> 00:34:21,200 Speaker 1: I don't know. It just seems unstable. But uh, that 582 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: is one point eight million jewels of power from these lasers. 583 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,440 Speaker 1: That's gonna heat the cylinder up, generate some X rays, 584 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:31,440 Speaker 1: and then that radiation will convert that pellet into plasma 585 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,760 Speaker 1: and compress it. So again they're creating plasma, but instead 586 00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:39,600 Speaker 1: of smashing it together with magnets, they're superheating it with lasers. 587 00:34:39,600 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: So that's your that's your your money's on that one. 588 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 1: You're like, I just think it's neat because I like lasers. 589 00:34:44,400 --> 00:34:47,200 Speaker 1: But that's your preference of the two. Yes, Well, actually 590 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:51,280 Speaker 1: whichever one works is going to be my preference, okay. Uh, 591 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,840 Speaker 1: And that one will yield fifty two times more energy 592 00:34:54,239 --> 00:34:57,600 Speaker 1: more energy out than energy put in. So that's that's 593 00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: a good goal. So um, yeah, I guess basically the 594 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 1: whole point of magnetic confinement is that if you can 595 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:09,720 Speaker 1: do without electromagnets, you're you're you have a more simple 596 00:35:09,800 --> 00:35:14,960 Speaker 1: and elegant internal confinement inertial. Yeah, that's what I mean, 597 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 1: inertial confinement. Basically, the whole thing just happened so fast. 598 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,399 Speaker 1: You don't even need these magnets to confine plasma because 599 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:25,279 Speaker 1: you're not creating the sustained ignition. Right. Yeah, I might 600 00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:27,880 Speaker 1: have said internal confinement before. By the way, it's inertial. 601 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:31,759 Speaker 1: So what about cold fusion, buddy? That was all the 602 00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 1: rage I remember back in the eighties. Yeah, because in 603 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:41,719 Speaker 1: some researchers said that they successfully created nuclear fusion using um, 604 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:47,000 Speaker 1: just room temperature stuff like palladium. They took palladium and 605 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:52,960 Speaker 1: um and beer cans pretty much heavy water which had 606 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 1: a deuterium in it, and they put the whole thing 607 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:59,040 Speaker 1: together and created nuclear fusion without the high temperatures, hence 608 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:02,840 Speaker 1: the name cold Usian. And if you can get around 609 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,840 Speaker 1: these high temperatures, then you work out the whole material 610 00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: science problem, right, And if you work out the whole 611 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:14,520 Speaker 1: material science problem. Then this is it's a desirable thing 612 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,279 Speaker 1: to have cold fusion. The problem is is all a 613 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:20,320 Speaker 1: lot of scientists tried to replicate these guys findings and 614 00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,799 Speaker 1: weren't able to So basically they were kicked to the curb. 615 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,600 Speaker 1: So does that mean has cold fusion been abandoned or 616 00:36:26,600 --> 00:36:28,400 Speaker 1: are people still trying to get on that train. No. 617 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 1: In two thousand fives, some U c. L A. Researchers 618 00:36:31,280 --> 00:36:35,319 Speaker 1: basically said, um, we think we might have this thing down, 619 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:41,400 Speaker 1: and they did. That's something called um pyroelectric crystal fusion. 620 00:36:42,239 --> 00:36:47,320 Speaker 1: Pyroelectric fusion. Yeah, we're basically it's the same result they 621 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:50,760 Speaker 1: do what would be called cold fusion. Um. The problem 622 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:52,960 Speaker 1: is that has a negative net energy yield. You have 623 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:54,839 Speaker 1: to put in a lot more energy than you get 624 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:59,720 Speaker 1: out of it. Well that's no good. Um. Eider seems 625 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 1: like they are making headway more than Lockheed despite their claim, Um, 626 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:07,759 Speaker 1: they are being like we said, it's in Europe and 627 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:10,759 Speaker 1: it's being financed by a bunch of different countries. Um, 628 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 1: the US is in, but they're kicking in. I think 629 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:18,520 Speaker 1: the least amount only about seventeen million euros last year 630 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:21,600 Speaker 1: of course we contributed dollars, but they're giving it to 631 00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 1: us in euros. Um. I think the EU spends the most, 632 00:37:25,280 --> 00:37:29,160 Speaker 1: about eighty million. South Korea and China kicked in about 633 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: twenty and nineteen million respectively each. And I saw earlier 634 00:37:33,640 --> 00:37:35,480 Speaker 1: where Russia was involved, but then I didn't see what 635 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:40,279 Speaker 1: they had contributed financially. Yeah, definitely. Are they still all right? 636 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:42,800 Speaker 1: Well maybe they're just uh, we're writing a chip for 637 00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:47,000 Speaker 1: them for later they'll pay it's back. Uh, But it 638 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 1: is a very expensive prospect um, and you need you know, 639 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:52,800 Speaker 1: countries getting together for something like this is not the 640 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:54,960 Speaker 1: kind of thing that like the US can take on 641 00:37:55,160 --> 00:37:57,719 Speaker 1: on their own, I guess unless you're Lockheed Martin and 642 00:37:57,800 --> 00:38:01,200 Speaker 1: you don't have to prove your data. Right, So this 643 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: nuclear fusion, we'll see what happens. Yeah, you got anything else? Man? No, 644 00:38:06,200 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: I just say everybody should go read a Star in 645 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,080 Speaker 1: a Bottle on the New Yorker. It's really really good. Yeah, 646 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 1: it's pretty neat. Um there. You can also go to instructibles. 647 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:18,840 Speaker 1: If you want to build a nuclear fusion reactor in 648 00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 1: your garage, you can do so. Um, you're not going 649 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:24,040 Speaker 1: to create energy because like we said, you're gonna be 650 00:38:24,080 --> 00:38:26,400 Speaker 1: putting more than you get out. Um, but there are 651 00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:29,080 Speaker 1: instructions and that kid did it. His was a little 652 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:33,399 Speaker 1: more advanced than the instructibles one obviously, but um yeah, 653 00:38:34,239 --> 00:38:37,680 Speaker 1: the sixteen year old kid. Yeah, he's amazing because his 654 00:38:37,840 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 1: was legit. He's done more than that too. His ted 655 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: talk was pretty impressive. Cool. He's like working on with 656 00:38:43,719 --> 00:38:47,279 Speaker 1: Homeman Security already for various projects that have nothing to 657 00:38:47,320 --> 00:38:50,520 Speaker 1: do with this. Yeah. Yeah. Uh. Well, if you want 658 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,319 Speaker 1: to learn more about nuclear fusion, you can type those 659 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 1: words in the search bar how stuff works dot com. 660 00:38:56,200 --> 00:38:58,200 Speaker 1: And since I said that, it's time for a listener 661 00:38:58,280 --> 00:39:01,879 Speaker 1: mail and chew. Before we do listener mail, I wanta 662 00:39:02,120 --> 00:39:04,479 Speaker 1: um give a shout out to our Keyva team. Yeah, 663 00:39:04,680 --> 00:39:06,160 Speaker 1: for those of you who don't know, we did a 664 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 1: podcast many years back on micro lending UH and Kiva 665 00:39:10,680 --> 00:39:14,480 Speaker 1: k i v A dot org is a organization where 666 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:18,840 Speaker 1: you can loan uh entrepreneurs and well used to be 667 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,040 Speaker 1: just developing countries. Now you can do it here in 668 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:24,359 Speaker 1: North America as well. UH twenty dollars at a time 669 00:39:24,920 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: that you can get paid back for. You can get 670 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:28,839 Speaker 1: your money back if you're not happy, or you can 671 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:31,399 Speaker 1: just keep reloaning that money and it helps them get 672 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,560 Speaker 1: their small business going. And we started keep a team 673 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:36,840 Speaker 1: many years ago and it is killing it. So you 674 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:43,719 Speaker 1: got some stats for us. So basically, as of October nineteen, um, 675 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: we have loaned our team has loaned two point seven 676 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: million dollars two people in developing countries, nice and in 677 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:57,680 Speaker 1: the U s here there um. And the big one 678 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:01,600 Speaker 1: is we've exceeded one hundred thousand loans man by our team. 679 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:04,080 Speaker 1: Our team only has eight thousand and seventy nine members. 680 00:40:04,200 --> 00:40:07,840 Speaker 1: So all eight thousand, seventy nine of you, guys, thank you, 681 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:11,120 Speaker 1: way to go. Congratulations, yes, and thanks as always to 682 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,759 Speaker 1: Glenn and Sonja are a de facto Kiva. Uh what 683 00:40:14,880 --> 00:40:17,800 Speaker 1: would you call them? Presidents? Presidents, presidents of the stuff 684 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:19,840 Speaker 1: you should know, team, the captains of the stuff you 685 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:24,760 Speaker 1: should know, team presidents. Okay, presidents president is yes, president 686 00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:29,279 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, they've been really like keeping it going for us. Yeah, 687 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:32,080 Speaker 1: and when you know, sometimes we'll forget and GLENNI nudges, Hey, guys, 688 00:40:32,520 --> 00:40:35,000 Speaker 1: remember the Kiva team. We should mention it, right. So 689 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,680 Speaker 1: the next the next goal we have is for three 690 00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,160 Speaker 1: million dollars in loans and we're on our way to it, 691 00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:44,000 Speaker 1: so come join us. We uh don't begrudge people who 692 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,799 Speaker 1: are late to the party. Just go to kiva dot org, 693 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:50,960 Speaker 1: slash teams slash stuff you should know and you can 694 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 1: sign up. That's right. So now it's time for listener 695 00:40:53,160 --> 00:40:58,000 Speaker 1: mill right. Indeed, sir, I'm gonna call this sky writing 696 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:01,839 Speaker 1: follow up um from Australia. You, hey, guys, recently listened 697 00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:04,520 Speaker 1: to how skywriting works and it reminded me of something. 698 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:07,799 Speaker 1: Although this may not be suitable for listener mail, which 699 00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:11,239 Speaker 1: I disagree actually because i'm reading it. I was maybe 700 00:41:11,280 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: eight or nine when a few friends and I were 701 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,000 Speaker 1: out on the street playing uh and doing things that 702 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:19,360 Speaker 1: nine year olds would do. It's so awkward to say that. 703 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:25,040 Speaker 1: So you're not replacing something right there. No, Um, they 704 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:27,399 Speaker 1: were just doing nine year old things, good clean fun. 705 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:29,800 Speaker 1: We looked up and saw a plane starting the skywrite. 706 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: We're instantly intrigued. What was being written? They started with 707 00:41:32,719 --> 00:41:34,919 Speaker 1: an H and then oh. This went on for maybe 708 00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:38,279 Speaker 1: twenty minutes until finally the word Hooters was scre haled 709 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:42,839 Speaker 1: across the sky. I'll be it backwards, so I guess 710 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,560 Speaker 1: they have the Hooters restaurant. Chicken wing Chain in Australia. 711 00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:50,319 Speaker 1: I guess they're a rich kid. Yeah, really immature rich 712 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,680 Speaker 1: kid yeah. Or that My brain couldn't comprehend how this 713 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:57,759 Speaker 1: person managed to screw up writing a word backwards. The 714 00:41:57,840 --> 00:42:00,040 Speaker 1: best reason my childish brain come with as it's I 715 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,600 Speaker 1: writing took place somewhere between us and a group of 716 00:42:02,680 --> 00:42:05,960 Speaker 1: people that it was initially intended for. That I just 717 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,680 Speaker 1: thought it was written up and downwards rather than across 718 00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:12,040 Speaker 1: the sky. Um until now, I never understood or bother 719 00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:14,360 Speaker 1: to learn why it was like that. So thank you 720 00:42:14,480 --> 00:42:17,440 Speaker 1: for keeping the podcast great allowing me to figure that out. 721 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:26,359 Speaker 1: That is from Marlin. Heh boy uh hapai chi happaraci 722 00:42:26,440 --> 00:42:31,520 Speaker 1: chi nice. Have you ever seen a word like that? Ha? 723 00:42:31,760 --> 00:42:38,919 Speaker 1: Poor rachi ha, poor rachi Marlin from Sydney, Australia. Man, 724 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,880 Speaker 1: thanks a lot, Marlin. H and that's Marlin with an 725 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:46,720 Speaker 1: a even oh yeah, Marland, Well thanks a lot, Marlin. 726 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:50,279 Speaker 1: We're gonna say like that. Sure. If you have an 727 00:42:50,280 --> 00:42:52,440 Speaker 1: awesome last name and want to share it with us, 728 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:55,080 Speaker 1: you can tweet to us at s y s K podcast. 729 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:57,840 Speaker 1: You can join us on Facebook dot com slash stuff 730 00:42:57,840 --> 00:43:00,080 Speaker 1: you should know. You can send us an email to 731 00:43:00,239 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 1: stuff podcast at how stuff Works dot com and as always, 732 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:05,239 Speaker 1: joined us at our home on the Web, Stuff You 733 00:43:05,280 --> 00:43:12,840 Speaker 1: Should Know dot com. For more on this and thousands 734 00:43:12,880 --> 00:43:15,239 Speaker 1: of other topics. Is it how stuff Works dot com. 735 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:21,080 Speaker 1: H