Is nuclear fusion the answer?

The race is on to build fusion reactors that would provide limitless energy without nuclear waste or carbon emissions

Thermonuclear power.
(Image credit: CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. researchers have successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction that created a net energy gain for the first time ever. The breakthrough, initially reported by the Financial Times, marks a major milestone in the decades-long efforts to provide limitless energy without nuclear waste or carbon emissions. Here's everything you need to know:

What is fusion?

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Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.