Twelve Thousand Bombs
WGLT’s Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast features conversations with leading scholars and policy advocates on the real and hypothetical impacts of nuclear war. Presented in partnership with Illinois State University physics professor Matt Caplan and the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 30 minutes
- Episodes
- 9
- Years Active
- 2024 - 2025
Bonus episode: Why did the U.S. just bomb Iran?
Given the U.S. attacks on three of Iran’s uranium enrichment sites over the weekend, we couldn’t resist bringing nuclear physicist Matt Caplan back into the studio. This bonus episode unpacks what ha…
Episode 7 - Peace is a process we have to earn
On the heels of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Japanese anti-nuclear advocacy group Nihon Hidankyō, Naomi Satoh returns to discuss her in-progress illustrated novel based on personal and…
Episode 6 - With nuclear fusion, the future of clean energy is bright. It's also made world annihilation more possible
Since the 1970s, physicists have worked on developing nuclear fusion as a clean, carbon-free, inexhaustible fuel source. Essentially building a big star on Earth, the United States and other nuclear …
Episode 5 - Next-gen astrophysicists on the imposing threat of nuclear war—and why not voting in 2024 is not an option
Three astrophysicists in training discuss how they're processing the science, policy and politics of nuclear weapons leading up to the 2024 election.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio…
Episode 4 - Star Wars: Iran and the fantasy of ballistic missile defense
The United States has spent $400 billion on developing and testing weapons designed to neutralize an attack. All signs point to a fool's errand, particularly in the event of a nuclear strike. Matt Ca…
Episode 3 - The human cost of Oppenheimer's Manhattan Project should be a cautionary tale. The U.S. is ramping up nuclear testing anyway.
J. Robert Oppenheimer chose a remote spot in south central New Mexico to build and test the world's first atomic bomb. The people who lived in the surrounding Tularosa Basin were not asked for permis…
Episode 2: Nuclear winter scenarios suggest the only winning move is not to play
On this episode of WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs, you'll hear from climatologist Lili Xia of Rutgers University. Xia was the leading author on a landmark 2022 research paper in Nature Food detailing c…
Episode 1: The threat of nuclear war is higher than ever. Why has it vanished from political campaigns?
WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast examines the history, science and policy behind the United States nuclear program—and why the threat of a nuclear conflict is as high as it’s ever been. The first…
Coming soon: WGLT's Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast
WGLT’s Twelve Thousand Bombs podcast features conversations with leading scholars and policy advocates on the real and hypothetical impacts of nuclear war. New episodes each month start September 202…