What is Nuclear Fusion? What Makes it so Remarkable?

To put it as simply as possible, nuclear fusion transpires when two atoms combine to make one larger atom. What makes this concept so remarkable is that it results in an abundance of energy, while it only consumes an explicit amount. On top of this, fusion energy does not generate greenhouse gasses or byproducts known to contribute to climate change. Instead, fusion energy runs on hydrogen, a naturally occurring element and the most plentiful element in the universe, essentially rendering it virtually limitless.

What, Who, How?

US scientists at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. On December 5th, a collection of lasers fired 2.05 megajoules of energy at a minuscule cylinder containing pellets of frozen deuterium and tritium, heavier configurations of hydrogen. The pellet shrunk and generated temperatures and pressures extreme enough to cause the hydrogen within itself to fuse together. As a result, the reaction produced a blaze in less than a billionth of a second, releasing 50% more energy than had been used to heat the pellet. This discovery would make for an incredible, behemoth step in the decades-long hunt to bring to life a source of safe, clean energy. This discovery would make it possible for humans to start severing their dependent ties with the aforementioned great contributors to climate change, completely changing the energy landscape.