Them!
This 1950s horror film was created in part by the Cold War-era nuclear paranoia that followed World War II. When the government tests bombs out in the New Mexican desert, it creates atomically mutated ants that are huge and ready to kill humans in order to protect their queen. The film was a warning to the world at the time, as it entered the atomic research era, and how it would be difficult to predict the long term consequences of the new technology.
To this day, there are debates about the pros and cons of nuclear energy. It’s low-carbon, unlike fossil fuels. But storing radioactive waste is serious business. If it contaminates an area, that location could be radioactive for thousands of years. Places that once touted the wonders of nuclear power—like California, Japan, and Germany—are now considering an early retirement for their power plants.
