Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, November 20th, 2025
Posted: 20th November 2025
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November 20, 2025
The Palisades nuclear power plant on the shore of Lake Michigan. The reactor was shut down for decommissioning in May 2022. But Holtec International, which took over the plant from Entergy Corp., has applied for federal and state grants to restart the facility. Holtec spent fuel storage containers can be seen in the center left of the image. (Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Alamy)
How Holtec International became an expanding (and controversial) nuclear power
Following its start as a producer of nuclear waste storage canisters, Holtec International has built an empire around mothballed nuclear power plants and incomplete nuclear initiatives. The firm’s history of overpromising and underdelivery raises a question: Is this who we should trust with the future of nuclear energy? Matt Smith investigates. Read more.
Post-truth disasters: We’re not ready for nuclear war on social media
Risks of a serious crisis are rising, and the information environment has never been worse. “Diminishing the practical capacity of the government and the reputational credibility of institutions responsible for rapid response can only evaporate trust and lead to citizens looking to alternative sources for critical information, even without the distortions present on social media platforms,” writes Andrew Facini. Read more.
WHAT’S NEW
The Bulletin welcomes Kronos Quartet as its inaugural Artist-in-Residence
The Bulletin is proud to announce the appointment of Kronos Quartet as its first ever Doomsday Clock Artist-in-Residence. The ensemble has an expansive discography, including three Grammy-winning albums, and their music has featured prominently in a number of films. Kronos has sold over four million albums—more than any other string quartet in history. Read more.
BULLETIN VIDEO
Kronos Quartet at the Nobel Laureate Assembly Declaration for the Prevention of Nuclear War
This summer, Kronos Quartet participated in and performed at the Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The full concert is now available on YouTube. Watch here.
Recent articles
- Trump’s new radiation exposure limits could be ‘catastrophic’ for women and girls
- How the United States achieved its de facto nuclear test ban—and how to preserve it
- The comforting but dangerous fantasy of ‘normal’ climatic and political aberrations
- Can Latin America find common ground at COP30?
- Declassified cable reinforces proliferation concerns about high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“’Collapse tends to be a bit of a loaded word. People think of it like a building collapse. Maybe a better timescale for an ice sheet [collapsing] is the Roman Empire,’ Joughin explains. Like a dying empire, the ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica are huge. It will take decades or even centuries for them to disintegrate.”
—Rebecca Hersher and Lauren Sommer quoting Ian Joughin, a glaciologist at the University of Washington, “3 massive changes you’ll see as the climate careens toward tipping points,” NPR
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
AMC Conference – Call for Proposals
The Alva Myrdal Centre Multidisciplinary Conference gathers researchers and practitioners passionate about nuclear disarmament. AMC now invites proposals for the 9–10 June 2026 conference ‘Building Blocks for Disarmament’ in Uppsala, Sweden and online.
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