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Nuclear Advancement

Aerospace Giant Closes in on Superior Fusion Power

Lockheed Martin scientists have made a breakthrough in developing a nuclear-fusion-based power source, and estimates that the first commercial reactors, small enough to fit on the back of a truck, could be available within 10 years. “We can make a big difference on the energy front,” says project head Tom McGuire. The company has been working for 60 years to find a way to make a power source based on nuclear fusion as a safer and more efficient alternative to the fission reactors in use since the Cold War era.

Nuclear power plants produce dangerous radiation as a byproduct and leave behind toxic nuclear waste that can endure for centuries. By contrast, fusion, which powers the stars, occurs when small, light atoms such as hydrogen smash together to form heavier atoms, releasing enormous amounts of energy. To date, scientists have been unable to initiate fusion reactions on Earth without using more energy than the reaction produces.

Preliminary work suggests that it will be feasible to build a 100 megawatt reactor 10 times smaller than traditional fission reactors. That’s enough power to light up a city of 80,000 homes. Lockheed Martin is now seeking government and industry partners to build a prototype. Source: Reuters

Global Briefs
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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