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Widely translated into several Western languages (with the exception of English), Günther Anders (1902–92) has, in the last two decades, attained the status of a classic figure within twentieth-century critical thought, close to Herbert Marcuse and the Frankfurt School without ever becoming one of its members. This article analyses his intellectual trajectory and his body of work, which includes many articles, essays, short stories, and even a novel. It focuses on his Jewish roots, which made him a paradigmatic representative of the ‘non-Jewish Jew’: a Jew confronted with antisemitism, an internationalist standing before the Jewish tradition. The crucial premises of his original theory, the author emphasises, were Auschwitz and Hiroshima, the extermination of European Jewry, and the atomic bomb. Set out in his most ambitious work, The Outdatedness of Human Beings (Volume 1, 1956; Volume 2, 1980), Anders’ thought appears as a kind of dialectical sublation, from a Marxist perspective, of Heidegger’s philosophy of technique (where technique has replaced human beings as the subject of history), articulated with a radical criticism of Heidegger’s political ontology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is disagreement over how much Werner Heisenberg knew about reactors and the bomb 1939–1945. A critical paper, declassified and returned to the Germans in 1971, has been inadequately understood in the controversy. Heisenberg calculated the critical radius for a spherical reactor with a tamper but the same formula applies whether spherical reactor or spherical bomb because his result is independent of the reactor's neutron source at criticality (a bomb has no external neutron source). He didn't emphasize the source-independence of the critical radius but instead misinterpreted it. Under captivity at Farm Hall in England in 1945 with eight other leading German nuclear researchers and Max v. Laue, Heisenberg recalled his 1939 theory from memory and made the same critical radius calculation for a bomb with a tamper that Serber had made in 1943 at Los Alamos. Heisenberg's 1945 formula for a bomb is identical to his 1939 critical radius formula derived for a reactor. His 1945 predictions for the numerical values of the critical radius are close to Serber's, except that Heisenberg only knew the fast fission cross section within two bounds, 0.5 and 2.5 barn. Serber's fast fission cross section was in the middle at 1.5 barn. This places Heisenberg's 1939 and 1945 theory and calculations, finally, in the correct historic context. Editor's Note: Historians debate whether Heisenberg was aware, before the launching of the American Manhattan project, of the possible characteristics of a U-235 bomb. This paper presents convincing evidence that in 1939 Heisenberg had already performed the calculation that was presented in 1943 by Serber to the Los Alamos group that predicted a critical radius. This paper will be of interest to those who teach about the development of the atomic bomb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mouse models are vital for assessing risk from environmental carcinogens, including ionizing radiation, yet the interspecies difference in the dose response precludes direct application of experimental evidence to humans. Herein, we take a mathematical approach to delineate the mechanism underlying the human–mouse difference in radiation‐related cancer risk. We used a multistage carcinogenesis model assuming a mutational action of radiation to analyze previous data on cancer mortality in the Japanese atomic bomb survivors and in lifespan mouse experiments. Theoretically, the model predicted that exposure will chronologically shift the age‐related increase in cancer risk forward by a period corresponding to the time in which the spontaneous mutational process generates the same mutational burden as that the exposure generates. This model appropriately fitted both human and mouse data and suggested a linear dose response for the time shift. The effect per dose decreased with increasing age at exposure similarly between humans and mice on a per‐lifespan basis (0.72‐ and 0.71‐fold, respectively, for every tenth lifetime). The time shift per dose was larger by two orders of magnitude in humans (7.8 and 0.046 years per Gy for humans and mice, respectively, when exposed at ~35% of their lifetime). The difference was mostly explained by the two orders of magnitude difference in spontaneous somatic mutation rates between the species plus the species‐independent radiation‐induced mutation rate. Thus, the findings delineate the mechanism underlying the interspecies difference in radiation‐associated cancer mortality and may lead to the use of experimental evidence for risk prediction in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss the apparent paradox that the energy released in a fission bomb explosion is independent of the energy ϵ liberated by each fissioning nucleus. The paradox is resolved by noting that a larger value of ϵ results in a shorter "burn time"; this stops the chain reaction sooner and results in fewer nuclei being fissioned. Editor's Note: Both awe-inspiring and terrifying, a nuclear explosion is a spectacular display of microscopic physics profoundly affecting the human scale. This paper explores the physics of nuclear explosions and addresses the counter-intuitive fact that the total energy released by a fission bomb is independent of the energy released in a single fission. While this was known to the scientists who developed the atomic bomb, much of their work is classified and their knowledge remains inaccessible to the general public. With only a few historical documents to go on, the authors of this article attempt to recreate a calculation by Manhattan Project scientists and clearly show why the total energy yield is independent of the energy released by each fissioning nucleus. This article will be of interest to readers interested in nuclear physics or in the history of the Manhattan Project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 4, Dr. Oppenheimer replied to General Nichols' letter of December 23, 1953. The complete text is printed below. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A former Atomic Energy Commission legal officer's account of how its top scientific adviser was deposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following is the text of a letter, dated December 23, 1953, from Major General K. D. Nichols, general manager of the Atomic Energy Commission, to Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Oppenheimer; Manhattan Project; Los Alamos; Trinity; atomic bomb; Roy Glauber EN Oppenheimer Manhattan Project Los Alamos Trinity atomic bomb Roy Glauber 221 231 11 07/19/23 20230701 NES 230701 During the middle of World War II, teenage physics major Roy Glauber found himself plucked out of college on the East Coast and assigned to work at a mysterious new government research center in the far-off deserts of New Mexico. In this interview, one of the last surviving eyewitnesses from the effort to build the first atomic bomb gives his impressions of that project's driving force - and of the director of the Los Alamos lab, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer, Manhattan Project, Los Alamos, Trinity, atomic bomb, Roy Glauber. [Extracted from the article]

In 1954, Robert Oppenheimer was subjected to what was rightly called "an extraordinary American inquisition" under the name of a security hearing. Despite having served his country so devotedly in heading the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos, he was now publicly humiliated, condemned as a security risk, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to step down from his government consultancies. Those hearings were skewed and manipulated in McCarthyite fashion. But while extremely harmful professionally and personally, the hearings were not Oppenheimer's greatest tragedy. His greatest tragedy was the success of his leadership in the creation of the weapon. His remarkable gifts as a physicist and as a human being were most realized in the building of a weapon that could lead to the destruction of humankind. We should make Oppenheimer's legacy to us the recognition that our only form of what has been called "nuclear ethics" is abolition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Oppenheimer; movie; Manhattan project; Christopher Nolan; atomic bomb; American Prometheus EN Oppenheimer movie Manhattan project Christopher Nolan atomic bomb American Prometheus 203 209 7 07/19/23 20230701 NES 230701 In the middle of May, I drove to Universal Studios Hollywood and proceeded, per instruction, to Jurassic Parking (yes, that really is the name of the parking garage). After the screening, I drove to a leafy and placid part of Hollywood and what appeared to be a converted residence that serves as an editing studio, where I spoke with Nolan about how he came to choose J. Robert Oppenheimer, the enigmatic director of the Los Alamos laboratory that birthed the atomic bomb, as the subject of a mass-market film. Just talk a little bit about what the process of getting to a movie is. B Nolan: b The process was an interesting one because of everything that makes I American Prometheus i firstly such a brilliant record of Oppenheimer's life and interpretation of Oppenheimer's life. Director Christopher Nolan (r) directs Cillian Murphy (l) - the actor portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer in the film - on the set of Oppenheimer. [Extracted from the article]

Just outrageous things - like the fact that they used all those FBI documents in the hearing against Oppenheimer, but denied Oppenheimer's lawyer any access to them, saying that they were still classified. But because Oppenheimer let several months go by before reporting the conversation to US intelligence authorities, it became a key issue nearly a decade later, in subsequent hearings about Oppenheimer's trustworthiness. I mean, you know, it was a feeler, and Oppenheimer said: "No." End of story. B Bird: b But the security people were concerned about the fact that Oppenheimer didn't volunteer this information for three months. Chevalier thought that Oppenheimer should know what happened; Oppenheimer cut him off. [Extracted from the article]

Around the time the U.S. government was testing nuclear bombs on Bikini Atoll in the spring of 1954, residents of Bellingham, Washington, inspected their windshields and noticed holes, pits, and [...]

Keywords: Broken Arrows; nuclear weapons; accidents; safety; command and control; close call EN Broken Arrows nuclear weapons accidents safety command and control close call 148 154 7 05/16/23 20230501 NES 230501 In the world of accidents, close calls, and near-misses, perhaps nothing is more chilling than incidents involving nuclear weapons. So, to answer your question, the US Defense Department uses "Broken Arrow" to mean a nuclear accident with a US weapon that caused the unauthorized launch or jettisoning of a nuclear weapon, a fire, an explosion, a radioactive release, or a full-scale detonation. More important, the large number of close calls and near-misses shows that no system for safeguarding nuclear weapons can ever be 100-percent effective - meaning that the United States (and other nuclear weapons nations, which have Broken Arrows of their own) can never completely eliminate the potential for catastrophic nuclear error. B Schlosser: b Right, we're not talking about close calls or near-misses with Russian weapons, British weapons, French weapons, or what might have happened with weapons in India, Pakistan, North Korea, China... Worldwide, we have no idea how many nuclear-weapon accidents have occurred. [Extracted from the article]

Internationalism has always been a major strand of anarchist political thought where it works on several levels. It has described their commitment to dynamic cosmopolitanism but also dictated revolutionary strategy and structured their social alternatives. In the post-war years, however, many anarchist thinkers, confronting the implications of the atomic bomb for state power and global governance, acknowledged the need for strategic revision. Retreating from the idea of revolution as a series of national armed uprisings, they shifted, instead, towards endorsing an 'act local, think global' approach to policy. But what did it mean to think global? This article focuses on British post-war anarchists and explores their spectrum of approaches to this strategy shift. While it recognises a common move towards more permeable notions of the local-global dynamic, it also argues for a richer differentiation among their responses than is usually acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we review the history of key epidemiological studies of populations exposed to ionizing radiation. We highlight historical and recent findings regarding radiation-associated risks for incidence and mortality of cancer and non-cancer outcomes with emphasis on study design and methods of exposure assessment and dose estimation along with brief consideration of sources of bias for a few of the more important studies. We examine the findings from the epidemiological studies of the Japanese atomic bomb survivors, persons exposed to radiation for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, those exposed to environmental sources including Chornobyl and other reactor accidents, and occupationally exposed cohorts. We also summarize results of pooled studies. These summaries are necessarily brief, but we provide references to more detailed information. We discuss possible future directions of study, to include assessment of susceptible populations, and possible new populations, data sources, study designs and methods of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Did the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II meet the military necessity and likelihood of success criteria of the Just War Theory? Many scholars and ethicists have argued that they did not. We examine the decision through the rationalist models of war preferred by international relations theorists. We introduce a simple version of the bargaining model of war and tease out its essential differences with the models of war (and, therefore, military necessity) used by most Just War Theorists. Then, we reconstruct the decision to drop the bomb on Japan, focusing especially on information states, preference sets, and operational realities, to show that, if the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki does not meet military necessity and likelihood of success criteria, no other kind of military activity can. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital transformation and "artificial intelligence (AI)"—which can more adequately be called "data-based systems (DS)"—comprise ethical opportunities and risks. Therefore, it is necessary to identify precisely ethical opportunities and risks in order to be able to benefit sustainably from the opportunities and to master the risks. The UN General Assembly has recently adopted a resolution aiming for 'safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems'. It is now urgent to implement and build on the UN General Assembly Resolution. Allowing humans and the planet to flourish sustainably in peace and guaranteeing globally that human dignity is respected not only offline but also online, in the digital sphere, and in the domain of DS, requires two policy measures: (1) human rights-based data-based systems (HRBDS): HRBDS means that human rights serve as the basis of digital transformation and DS. (2) International Data-Based Systems Agency (IDA): IDA should be established at the UN as a platform for cooperation in the field of digital transformation and DS, fostering human rights, security, and peaceful uses of DS, as well as a global supervisory institution and regulatory authority in digital transformation and DS. The establishment of IDA is realistic because humanity has already shown in its past that we are able to not always "blindly" pursue the technically possible but also to limit ourselves to what is technically feasible when humanity and the planet are at stake. For instance, humans researched the field of nuclear technology, developed the atomic bomb, and detonated it several times. Nonetheless, the same humans limited research and development in the field of nuclear technology to prevent even worse consequences by establishing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the UN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the depiction of the USS Indianapolis disaster in American cinema, particularly through Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975). Topics include the influence of the "Indianapolis speech" in Jaws on public awareness of the naval disaster, the decline in subsequent film adaptations about the USS Indianapolis, and the connection between the disaster and broader historical and cultural contexts such as the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and post-Cold War U.S.-Japanese relations.

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Today, like never before, humanity is developing a fear of self-destruction. After the development of atomic weapons, the current nuclear weapon, although considered a weapon of deterrence, threatens the world with an apocalypse from which it could not recover. Faced with this situation, after the second war, the ultimate question nagging people's minds is the following: what weapon would be used in the next war? As a result, saving humanity from the catastrophe that is looming on the horizon requires recourse to the founding values of good governance and the culture of peace. Despite the old European democracy and the emerging African democracies, we still wonder about the trajectories to take to combine peace in a world which, more and more, is heading towards its extinction. With the current Russian-Ukrainian conflicts, introducing a war at the doorstep of Europe, as well as the putsches recorded in Africa, with the establishment of military juntas, the case of Mali in 2020 and 2021, of Guinea in 2021, of Niger and Burkina Faso in 2022, of Gabon in 2023, also the increase in the authoritarian regime in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Rwanda, without forgetting the establishment of the ghost state in the Central African Republic, etc. there is reason to question the idealistic and realistic aims of democratic values. History has made democracy not only a system of management of public affairs par excellence, but also a way of living and a way of being. Founded on the values of freedom and tolerance, democratization requires our appropriate resolution to expose a systematic method that can lead to the construction of a culture dedicated to dialogue and the peaceful management of conflicts. Democratization, through the combination of good governance and the culture of peace, constitutes a process which requires a method bringing together both a part linked to the form, relating to the political and institutional organization, and a part linked to the substance, relating to the behavior of political actors. Keywords: Democracy, liberalism, socialism, conflict management, good governance, INTRODUCTION << Les guerres prenant naissance dans l'esprit des hommes, c'est dans l'esprit des hommes que doivent etre elevees les defenses de la paix >>. (1) En posant que la [...]

Physicist Percy Bridgman has been taken by Heather Douglas to be an exemplar defender of an untenable value-free ideal for science. This picture is complicated by a detailed study of Bridgman’s philosophical views of the relation between science and society. The normative autonomy of science, a version of the value-free ideal, is defended. This restriction on the provenance of permissible values in science is given a basis in Bridgman’s broader philosophical commitments, most importantly, his view that science is primarily an individual commitment to a set of epistemic norms and values. Considerations of external moral or social values are not, on this view, intrinsic to scientific practice, though they have a broader pragmatic significance. What Bridgman takes as the proper relation between science and society is shown through analysis of his many writings on the topic and consideration of his rarely remarked upon involvement in the most problematic example of “Big Science” of his day: the atomic bomb. A reevaluation of Bridgman’s views provides a unique characterization of what is at stake in the values in science debate: the normative autonomy of science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the claim made by Christopher Nolan that J. Robert Oppenheimer is the most important person who ever lived. The author disagrees with this claim, stating that there were other scientists who made more significant contributions to physics and that there are many historically significant figures outside of science. However, the author acknowledges Oppenheimer's interesting and fascinating nature, as demonstrated by the success of Nolan's biopic about him. The article delves into Oppenheimer's complex character and the challenges of understanding him, both from internal and external perspectives. It also discusses the techniques used by filmmakers and biographers to explore the minds of their subjects, highlighting the advantages of visual storytelling in films. The article briefly touches on Oppenheimer's background and early life, emphasizing his intellectual brilliance and struggles in the laboratory. It mentions a false story about Oppenheimer leaving a poisoned apple for someone he was angry with. Oppenheimer received psychiatric treatment and thrived under Max Born at Gottingen. He became a sought-after scientist, splitting his time between the California Institute of Technology and UC Berkeley. The text also mentions Oppenheimer's involvement in left-wing politics and his romantic relationships with Jean Tatlock and Katherine Puening. It discusses Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb and his subsequent conflicts with the military and political establishment. The article concludes by mentioning Oppenheimer's popularity and his hope for a future without nuclear weapons. [Extracted from the article]

"The Radius of Destructive Action (II)" is a collection of poems that provides insights into the perspectives of scientists, military officials, and politicians involved in the development and use of atomic bombs during World War II. The poems delve into themes of morality, responsibility, and the consequences of scientific advancements. The perspectives presented range from J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project, to Henry Stimson, the Secretary of War, to Niels Bohr, a Danish physicist. Through these poems, readers can explore the ethical dilemmas faced by these individuals and the global impact of their decisions. [Extracted from the article]

This essay analyzes the historiography of the German attempts during the Second World War to develop and harness the economic and military applications of uranium fission as well as the postwar "politics of the past." This literature, which began immediately after the end of the war and continues to the present day, includes contributions from scientists, historians, journalists, playwrights, and other authors. The essay is divided into mostly chronological sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MP) encompass not only plastic products but also paint particles. Marine microdebris, including MP, was retrieved from five sampling stations spanning Nagasaki-Goto island and was classified into six types, primarily consisting of MP (A), Si-based (B), and Cu-based (C) paint particles. Type-A particles, i.e., MP, were exceedingly small, with 74% of them having a long diameter of 25 µm or less. The vertical distribution of type C, containing cuprous oxide, exhibited no depth dependence, with its dominant size being less than 7 μm. It was considered that the presence of type C was associated with a natural phenomenon of MP loss. To clarify this, polypropylene (PP) samples containing cuprous oxide were prepared, and their accelerated degradation behavior was studied using a novel enhanced degradation method employing a sulfate ion radical as an initiator. Infrared spectroscopy revealed the formation of a copper soap compound in seawater. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis indicated that the chemical reactions between Cl− and cuprous oxide produced Cu+ ions. The acceleration of degradation induced by the copper soap formed was studied through the changes in the number of PP chain scissions, revealing that the presence of type-C accelerated MP degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, particularly focusing on his complexities as an individual and his central role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The author discusses Oppenheimer's brilliance as a physicist, his personal struggles and neuroses, and the ethical dilemmas surrounding the decision to use nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"The First Atomic Bomb: The Trinity Site in New Mexico" by Professor Janet Farrell Brodie is a folk history that focuses on the people involved in building the bomb rather than the scientists who designed it. The book explores the origins and execution of the Manhattan Project, the impact of the Trinity test, and touches on issues of race and ethnicity within the project. It also discusses postwar conflicts over land ownership between the U.S. government and local inhabitants. This unique perspective sheds light on lesser-known aspects of the Trinity test. For further information, the author can be contacted at twege@ccga.edu. [Extracted from the article]