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Atomic bomb

Big Science: Ernest Lawrence  and the Invention that Launched the  Military-Industrial Complex. By Michael Hiltzik. Simon & Schuster, 2015. 518p. HB, $30.

Berkeley and the Bomb

It was a momentous decision, not only for Lawrence and the university but also for science—and, arguably, for the rest of us. For while Lawrence would have found success at almost any institution, Berkeley was one of the few whose ambitions matched his own. Without Berkeley, and without the support of the state of California, Lawrence might not have realized his vision, and we might not be living with its profound consequences.

Richard Feynman at Los Alamos

Richard Feynman was a physicist at Los Alamos. His wife, Arline, lived in a tuberculosis sanatorium in Albuquerque during most of his time on the “Hill.” She died in 1945, shortly before the Trinity test. Once people thought that angels beat the [...]

Starting From Zero at Hiroshima: An Interview with Kenzaburo Oe

June 24, 2005

Much of Kenzaburo Oe’s work reflects his deep anxiety about nuclear warfare and his commitment to peace, environmentalism, and social justice, and he brings extraordinary learning and intelligence to bear on his darkly imaginative treatment of these themes.