A Star In A Bottle

Phenomenal article by Raffi Khatchadourian chronicling ITER’s long and trying journey towards nuclear fusion. Fraught with not only technical challenges but also complex social dynamics, geopolitical tensions, and budgetary shortcomings time and time again — to name just a few of the problems that have plagued this project in the twenty-one years since work began, to say nothing of the ridicule and general disregard the idea suffered particularly from the academic community in the preceding fifty-eight years — it is nothing short of a miracle that the team has not just managed to remain intact, but made progress as well. Incredible — their journey, yes, but the sheer scale they are working on as well. Absolutely awe-inspiring. This piece alone justifies the continued existence of print publications.