Suspected Bomb From WW2 Found at Fukushima Nuclear Site
In a classic case of adding insult to injury, workers at the beleaguered Fukushima nuclear power plant have uncovered what appears to be an undetonated bomb dating back to the Second World War.
A Robot Captured Photos of What Might Be Melted Nuclear Fuel Inside Fukushima's Reactor No. 3
One of the several brave robots to make one-way trips into Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s severely damaged reactors has accomplished what its less fortunate compatriots did not, sending back photos of what appears to be melted nuclear fuel from the interior of the ruined facility.
Wild Boars Remain at Radiation-Hit Fukushima as Residents Prepare to Return
In just a few weeks, the residents of a Fukushima city will finally be allowed to return to their homes. Trouble is, the place has been overrun by hundreds of belligerent and potentially radioactive wild boars, prompting public safety concerns.
Excessive Radiation Inside Fukushima Fries Clean-up Robot
A remotely-controlled robot sent to inspect and clean a damaged reactor at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant had to be pulled early when its onboard camera went dark, the result of excess radiation. The abbreviated mission suggests that radiation levels inside the reactor are even higher than was reported last week—and…
A Promising New Method For Cleaning Up the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster
Hundreds of millions of gallons of radioactive water remain sitting around the site of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. But scientists can’t simply dump the liquid into the ocean, and if it continues sitting around, it could seep into the soil.
This Week's Fukushima Earthquake Was an Aftershock From 2011
When a magnitude 6.9 earthquake rocked the Fukushima prefecture of Japan on Tuesday, fear swept the island nation that it could herald a repeat of the tsunami and nuclear disaster at Fukushima five years ago, both of which were caused by an enormous, magnitude 9.1 earthquake.
We'll Always Be Able to Catch Pokémon at Fukushima
Pokémon Go is everywhere, and for some, that’s a problem.
What a Radioactive Town Looks Like Five Years After the Humans Left
Since March 2011, a 30-mile radius around the ruined Fukushima Daiichi reactor has been a designated exclusion zone, unsafe to travel. Over 100,000 evacuees left in a hurry and left behind a snapshot of what life looked like in the moments just before they fled. A brave soul recently snuck in to photograph the…
Fukushima Is Now Home To Radioactive Wild Boars
After a nuclear disaster, wildlife tends to flourish in contaminated areas, unchecked by humans that might otherwise hunt them. In the forests around Fukushima, the population of radioactive wild boars is exploding.
Fukushima Farmers Are Using Soil Made From Polyester
It’s been five years since Japan’s Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown in Fukushima—and some consumers are still wary of produce grown in the region. That’s why some farmers aren’t growing plants in soil that might be contaminated—they’re growing plants in polyester instead.
Japan Is Down to One Nuclear Power Plant
Japan has closed one of its two remaining operational nuclear plants. The shutdown comes just days before the fifth anniversary of a catastrophic earthquake that triggered a tsunami and the biggest nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl.
New Photos From Fukushima Paint a Dire Picture of the Clean Up
Five years ago, a 9.0 undersea earthquake shook Japan. It was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in the country, and it was followed by devastating tsunami waves, killing 15,894 people. The tsunami caused level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power…
Fukushima Reactor Debris Stands No Chance Against Toshiba's Slicing, Dicing Robot
It’s already been almost five years since the nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, and the inspection and clean-up is going to last decades. Our best weapon? Amazing robots, like this one Toshiba announced on Monday.
Japan Is Trying to Terror-Proof Its Recently Reopened Nuclear Reactors
In August, Japan reopened its first nuclear reactors after an almost two-year hiatus that followed the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Now, months later, Kyushu Electric Power Co. is preparing to guard the controversial energy source against terrorist attacks, too.
First Fukushima Recovery Worker Diagnosed With Radiation-Linked Cancer
When Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered its meltdown in 2011, over 44,0000 workers helped safely take it offline. Now, more than four years later, comes the first diagnosis of cancer in a recovery worker to be linked to radiation exposure during the work.
New 'Scorpion' Robot Will Inspect Fukushima Reactor This Summer
When the 2011 earthquake in Japan damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant, teams scrambled to find a robot that could go where humans couldn’t. In many ways those robots failed, and ever since, there has been a focus on creating robots that can get the job done. Enter Toshiba’s “Scorpion” robot, which will make its…
The Best Way to Map Radiation? Bento Boxes Stuffed With Geiger Counters
Back in 2011, a team of volunteers crammed Geiger counters into bento-shaped boxes to map the radiation following the Fukushima meltdown. It turned into the biggest collection of radiation data in history. Next up: tackling air pollution.
This Huge Wind Turbine Floating on Water Is Fukushima's Energy Solution
A mere 12 miles from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant will soon sit a 620-foot, 1,500-ton windmill atop a 5,000-ton podium. It’ll be the biggest floating wind turbine on Earth, and it could usher in a new age of green energy for a region largely fed up with nuclear energy.
Two Malfunctioning Robots Are Now Stuck Inside the Fukushima Reactor
The dangerous and unenviable task of cleaning up the Fukushima reactor has hit its latest snag: Two snake-like reconnaissance bots had to be abandoned inside the reactor—after one got stuck and another’s camera was damaged by radiation.
