Fusion energy has been worked on for such a long time. It is not going to be the way that we end up doing fusion energy in 50 or 60 or 70 years. We know it's possible, we see it all around us every day and every night in the form of stars. But what's a hundred years in the scale of human history when it comes to solving probably the biggest challenge we have in terms of our energy consumption? That's how hard it is. And so it will happen, but it will just take a longtime.
Scientists have reported a long-awaited nuclear-fusion breakthrough, using lasers to ignite hydrogen-isotope fuel in a self-sustaining burn. But that marks just one step on a long, uncertain road to clean fusion energy. Same-sex marriage in America is now protected by legislation, in a compromise that could provide a template for future culture-war clashes. And the uncertain future of Darjeeling teas.
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