Twelve Thousand Bombs cover art

Twelve Thousand Bombs

Twelve Thousand Bombs

Written by: WGLT
Listen for free

About this listen

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.

 Physics Political Science Politics & Government Science
Episodes
  • Bonus episode: Why did the U.S. just bomb Iran?

    Bonus episode: Why did the U.S. just bomb Iran?
    Jun 23 2025

    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 happened, what didn’t happen, what it means and why we should care.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • Episode 7 - Peace is a process we have to earn

    Episode 7 - Peace is a process we have to earn
    Oct 31 2024

    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 familial oral histories gathered from survivors of the 1945 bombings over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • Episode 6 - With nuclear fusion, the future of clean energy is bright. It's also made world annihilation more possible

    Episode 6 - With nuclear fusion, the future of clean energy is bright. It's also made world annihilation more possible
    Oct 24 2024

    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 powers have also used the technology to make nuclear weapons exponentially more powerful. Princeton physicist Stewart Prager joins the podcast to talk about the intersection between nuclear fusion, energy production and arms control.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
No reviews yet