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What are nuclear reactors and how do they work?
The ultimate embodiment of ‘high risk, high rewards .
Nuclear reactors transform the energy released by decaying, unstable atoms into electricity. We call such atoms ‘radioactive’. This decaying process is roughly the same one that fuels the Sun, only running in reverse. It can release a huge amount of energy, but it also generates radioactive waste products that are extremely harmful to all life if not handled properly.
The nuclear reactor at Reed College is the only reactor in the US staffed by undergraduate students. Installed in 1968, the 250 kW reactor provides a neutron source for research purposes. Image credits Don McCullough / Flickr.