Exploring the Terrifying Reality of a Nuclear Catastrophe

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Exploring the devastating impact of a nuclear missile hitting a power plant, the chapter vividly describes the widespread contamination and long-term consequences of a core meltdown. It highlights the stark differences in radiation dispersion between targeting a city versus a nuclear facility, underscoring the sheer devastation that ensues.

Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen investigated this ticking-clock scenario, based on dozens of exclusive new interviews with military and civilian experts who have built the weapons, been privy to the response plans, and are responsible for those decisions should they need to be made.

Shermer and Jacobsen discuss: surviving a nuclear explosion • what happens in a nuclear bomb explosion • consequences of a nuclear exchange • Getting to Nuclear Zero • North Korea, China/Taiwan • increasing budgets for more weapons • types and quantities of nuclear weapons • why humans engage in aggression, violence, and war

Annie Jacobsen is an investigative journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and New York Times bestselling author. Her new book is Nuclear War: A Scenario. Her other books include: Area 51, Operation Paperclip, and The Pentagon’s Brain.