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Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Cancer-killing breakthrough discovered in Manhattan Project's nuclear waste
Radioactive waste from the earliest days of the US nuclear weapons program is being repurposed into a promising new cancer therapy. For years, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee have carefully managed leftover materials like Uranium-233. This highly radioactive isotope has been stockpiled since the 1940s, when it was used in the Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bombs. During the disposal process, scientists discovered they could extract an extremely rare byproduct of aging uranium, called Thorium-229. That radioactive substance can be used in targeted alpha therapy, a cutting-edge procedure that attacks cancer cells at the DNA level. As Thorium-229 breaks down, it produces Actinium-225 (Ac-225), an isotope that can destroy tumors without harming surrounding healthy tissue. Researchers believe targeted alpha therapy could treat a range of cancers, including lymphoma, prostate cancer, and breast cancer. Sarah Schaefer, project manager for Oak Ridge's uranium cleanup effort, said: 'This is no longer something that will happen in the future. The time is now.' Targeted alpha therapy is a precise cancer-fighting tool that works like a tiny, guided missile aimed at cancer cells in the patient's body. Doctors use Thorium-229 to create Ac-225, which is attached to specialized antibodies that act like homing devices, seeking out and sticking themselves to cancer cells in the prostate, breast, or lymph nodes. Ac-225 then shoots out radioactive particles (called alpha particles) that break down the cancer cell's DNA and kill the tumor. This type of targeted treatment doesn't affect the healthy cells around the disease, which means there are fewer side effects than broader cancer treatments like chemotherapy. The biggest problem at the moment is that there is only a tiny supply of Thorium-229 in the entire world - only 45 grams, or 1.6 ounces extracted. 'It's important to extract Th-229 because that isotope only comes from U-233,' Schaefer said in a statement. 'Most of the world's supply of U-233 is stored at ORNL, so once this material is dispositioned, no more Th-229 will be available,' she added. While scientists have only been able to extract less than two ounces of Thorium-229 from America's nuclear waste, that's still enough to treat hundreds of cancer patients each year. A single therapeutic dose of Ac-225 typically ranges from four to 50 MBq (megabecquerels), depending on the cancer type and treatment protocol for the patient. Megabecquerels are units of radioactivity that equate to four to 50 'zaps' of energy, where each zap is enough to target the cancer cells in one session. That amount of Ac-225 comes from an even smaller amount of Thorium-229, amounting to less than a grain of salt. So, even though only a microscopic amount of thorium can be extracted from the nation's nuclear waste, it still goes a long way in medical experiments. The next problem scientists face, however, is what to do once the Oak Ridge uranium disposal project runs out of waste to clean up. According to a release from the US Department of Energy, Oak Ridge has set a target date of 2028 for eliminating their entire Uranium-233 inventory. That means scientists at the facility will need to create a new method for manufacturing Thorium-229 without atomic bomb-making material. Those steps may involve creating Thorium-229 from alternatives like Radium-226 in nuclear reactors. Scientists would bombard Radium-226 with particles called neutrons to change its atomic structure into thorium. It's like cooking with a recipe that takes multiple steps, instead of waiting for Thorium-229 to decay naturally from uranium. Scientists can also fire protons like subatomic bullets at Radium-226 or Thorium-232 using a particle accelerator called a cyclotron to produce Thorium-229. It would be like using a high-tech tool to carve out exactly the radioactive material you need.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
High ratings for Oak Ridge Mexican restaurant, ice cream shop
After doing this for well over 20 years, I'm at the point, where I manage my expectations when it comes to Mexican-food restaurants. The vast majority of the ones I have tried do a decent job. No major complaints. But it's not often that one lands on the right-hand side of the bell curve. Barrios Mexican Cantina in Oak Ridge, however, did just that. While researching it online, I appreciated the aesthetics and functionality of the website, and the menu definitely piqued my interest. Then upon our arrival, I noticed that the modestly sized bar and dining areas didn't beat me over the head with cliché Mexican-restaurant décor like piñatas, streamers and gaudily colored booths. I don't need an explosion of visual stimuli in my face when I dine out, which is why Barrios' understated mom-and-pop vibes felt refreshing and welcoming. And as I mentioned, I was hopeful about the menu too. You'll find a number of dips and a couple of ceviche dishes among the appetizers. I also spotted unique salads like berry and goat cheese as well as avocado and kale. And yes, they have familiar south-of-the-border dinners like burritos, enchiladas, nachos, fajitas and quesadillas. There were also sections focused more on chicken and vegetarian options. I ordered one of the seafood entrees, the seafood chimichanga ($17). The tortilla is filled with mahi, shrimp and sauteed onions, then deep-fried and topped with chipotle queso. It's served with rice, beans, pico and crema cilantro. The Grub Spouse tried one of the Casa Specialties, the carnitas dinner ($16). The confit pork is prepared with sauteed onions and served with similar sides as mine and accompanied by tortillas. Barrios also offers more than two dozen street taco varieties. Prices vary, but I got the molida taco (ground beef) for $3.75. There were so many other dishes I would have loved to try but passed on, including the chori-chicken chimichanga, the enchiladas supremas, the seafood and spinach quesadilla and the quesabirria — a flour tortilla stuffed with birria (stew), cheese, onion and cilantro. Combo and a la carte options are up for grabs as well. This was by far my favorite Mexican-food meal in a long while. The carnitas were cooked to perfection, and my deep-fried chimi was bursting with plump shrimp, mildly flavored mahi and mucho onion. I loved all the sides as well, including the rice, which I can usually take or leave. Even the cilantro-enhanced pico was wonderful. One negative was the service, which started out great, but our personable server went missing once our food was delivered. We received no follow-up, and even after he eventually dropped by, it took a little too long for him to get us a check and to-go boxes. We were the only customers there at the time. It was regrettable, but I'm not letting that have too much impact on my overall score. We passed on a familiar list of Mexican desserts, mainly so we could be-bop right down the Oak Ridge Turnpike to Lolli & Bobo's Ice Cream Shop, a block off the main drag in that Bus Terminal Road shopping area. My research indicated that they get their ice cream from Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream in Door County, Wisconsin. It's rated as super premium, containing at least 14% butterfat, which makes it creamy and delicious. And I would agree. We agonized over the nearly 20 flavors available that day, including blueberry cheesecake, cool mint cookie, bourbon trail and caramel corn. I got a scoop of Cake Pop (cake batter ice cream, salted chocolate cake pieces and sprinkles) and a scoop of Michigan Pot Hole (chocolate ice cream with black-tar fudge and chocolate chunks. The Spouse got two scoops of Eskimo Kisses — coconut ice cream with bits of chocolate ice cream and a blanket of fudge. Each two-scoop cup was $6.49. We didn't see Lolli and Bobo, two grandparents who are Tennessee transplants, but if we had, we would have told them that they have excellent taste in ice cream. My favorite chain lately has been Bruster's, but in this case, Lolli & Bobo's comes about as close to that benchmark as any local shop I've experienced. I'm giving them two little, pink plastic spoons, way up. Barrios Mexican Cantina Food: 4.5 Service: 3.5 Atmosphere: 3.75 Overall: 4.25 Address: 154 Talmeda Road, Oak Ridge Phone: 865-272-5171 Full bar service Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays Lolli & Bobo's Ice Cream Shoppe Food: 4.5 Service: 4 Atmosphere: 4 Overall: 4.5 Address: 124 Bus Terminal Road, Oak Ridge Phone: 865-410-0411 No alcohol service Hours: 1 to 8 p.m. Sundays; noon to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays Bottom line: These two Oak Ridge eateries — serving Mexican food and ice cream, respectively — are both very good at what they do and worth the drive from Knoxville. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: High ratings for Oak Ridge Mexican restaurant, ice cream shop Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A look inside a lab making the advanced fuel to power growing US nuclear energy ambitions
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) — Near signs that warn of radioactive risk at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a half-dozen workers from the nuclear power company X-energy are making what appear to be gray billiard balls. Inside, they're packed with thousands of tiny black spheres that each contain a speck of uranium enriched beyond what today's power plants use. The United States is chasing a new age of nuclear power that banks on domestic production of reactor fuel like X-energy is making, and though the work at Oak Ridge is unfolding across just 3,000 square feet, X-energy and others are already revving up for big production. President Donald Trump set a goal of quadrupling domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, signing executive orders in May to speed up development. A new wave of advanced nuclear reactors could be operational around 2030. But just like cars won't run without gas, those plants won't run without fuel. To expand nuclear energy long-term, the nation must maximize its nuclear fuel production, according to Trump. In Oak Ridge, X-energy has broken ground on a massive, nearly $2 billion campus for a new fuel fabrication facility, the first in the United States in over half a century. The nuclear fuel company Standard Nuclear, also in Oak Ridge, aims to produce metric tons of fuel for advanced reactors. A supplier named Orano is likewise looking to build a multibillion-dollar uranium enrichment facility nearby. 'This is a unique time,' said Tyler Gerczak, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's principal investigator for the cooperative with X-energy's subsidiary TRISO-X. 'The momentum is incredible.' Making the 'most robust nuclear fuel' The Associated Press toured the lab where X-energy is making small amounts of fuel for testing. Anyone beyond a magenta-and-yellow chain that warns of radioactivity must wear gowns, two layers of gloves and radiation monitors. When they leave, they're tested for radioactivity. X-energy, a Maryland-based company, uses uranium to make so-called TRISO fuel — inside what's known as 'pebbles.' Those are the billiard balls. The Energy Department says it's the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth because the particles cannot melt in a reactor. At the lab, the first step is making a uranium cocktail that resembles dark yellow lemonade. Uranium powder, in the form of triuranium octoxide, gets added to nitric acid, said Dan Brown, vice president of fuel development for TRISO-X. Then carbon and an organic solution are added. They have two glass containers set up — one wears a heated jacket, looking almost like a little sweater, that helps the uranium dissolve into the acid solution. The second cools the acid solution while the carbon source is added, which turns the mix near-black, he said. At another station, in a long clear tube, the cocktail solidifies into small black spheres with a jellybean-like consistency. Those black balls, about the size of poppyseeds, then travel through machines under temperatures as high as 1,800 degrees Celsius to get protective carbon coatings — like candy dipping — that make them look like very tiny BBs. X-energy uses graphite and other cohesive materials to bind 18,000 kernels together into a larger sphere. That gets coated in a final layer of graphite to seal the final pebble. In the end, it's strong enough to withstand the weight of an SUV. The pebbles will eventually give up their energy in the high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor X-energy is developing, with about 220,000 pebbles per reactor, like gumballs in a gumball machine. When they exit the bottom, if energy remains, the pebbles will return to the top for another pass. Each one could be used about six times. X-energy also plans to make fuel products for other advanced reactor designs. The national laboratory lends X-energy its expertise, research and high-tech equipment for analysis and will evaluate samples, as will some universities. Other samples are archived. Idaho National Laboratory received a batch for its advanced test reactor, Brown said. Critics of building more nuclear reactors say they're too expensive and riskier than other low-carbon energy sources. 'Without a substantial decrease in construction costs, it's not worth the avoided greenhouse gas emissions,' said David Kemp, a Cato Institute policy analyst. Kemp said Trump's 25-year quadrupling goal is unrealistic because it would mean building nuclear reactors faster than ever. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those two, at a Georgia nuclear plant, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget. Working to 'amp up' domestic nuclear fuel production Many next-generation reactors will use high-assay low-enriched uranium. It's fuel that's enriched to a higher level than traditional large nuclear reactors use, allowing the newer reactors to run longer and more efficiently, sit on smaller footprints and produce less waste, according to the Department of Energy. There's little of it made in the United States right now. Only Russia and China currently have the infrastructure to make large amounts of high-assay low-enriched uranium. In the United States, Centrus Energy produced the nation's first 20 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium in more than 70 years in late 2023, to show it can produce limited quantities for commercial reactors. A big takeaway from Trump's executive orders is the need to 'amp up' domestic production of nuclear fuel to reduce dependence on foreign sources and enable in the long term expansion of American nuclear energy, according to the Energy Department. At the Nuclear Energy Institute trade association, Benjamin Holtzman, director of new nuclear, said he thinks the fuel will be ready for a new generation of U.S. nuclear reactors needed to meet the growing demand for electricity — if the right actions are taken now. X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell said he hopes to help solve the fuel problem so it doesn't hold back new reactor development. The Energy Department has awarded funding to X-energy. Amazon invested in X-energy too, and they're collaborating to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new U.S. power projects online by 2039. X-energy is the only one with an application before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license a new fabrication facility to transform enriched uranium into fuel products for nuclear reactors. Another applicant has asked to amend an existing license to make fuel for advanced reactors, according to the NRC. About five additional companies have told the NRC they are interested in making fuel for advanced reactors. X-energy's pilot lab at the National Laboratory started in 2016. The company now has 100 acres in Oak Ridge and growing for its nuclear fuel production complex. The first factory could be operational by late 2027 or early 2028, capable at full operation of assembling enough fuel orbs to power 11 of its new-age reactors; a second by late 2029, with a capacity four times greater, said TRISO-X President Joel Duling. 'I've been through two or three 'nuclear renaissances,'" Duling said. 'This isn't a renaissance. This is a game-changer.' ___ McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Jonathan Mattise And Jennifer Mcdermott, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
A look inside a lab making the advanced fuel to power growing US nuclear energy ambitions
Near signs that warn of radioactive risk at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a half-dozen workers from the nuclear power company X-energy are making what appear to be gray billiard balls. Inside, they're packed with thousands of tiny black spheres that each contain a speck of uranium enriched beyond what today's power plants use. The United States is chasing a new age of nuclear power that banks on domestic production of reactor fuel like X-energy is making, and though the work at Oak Ridge is unfolding across just 3,000 square feet, X-energy and others are already revving up for big production. President Donald Trump set a goal of quadrupling domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, signing executive orders in May to speed up development. A new wave of advanced nuclear reactors could be operational around 2030. But just like cars won't run without gas, those plants won't run without fuel. To expand nuclear energy long-term, the nation must maximize its nuclear fuel production, according to Trump. In Oak Ridge, X-energy has broken ground on a massive, nearly $2 billion campus for a new fuel fabrication facility, the first in the United States in over half a century. The nuclear fuel company Standard Nuclear, also in Oak Ridge, aims to produce metric tons of fuel for advanced reactors. A supplier named Orano is likewise looking to build a multibillion-dollar uranium enrichment facility nearby. 'This is a unique time,' said Tyler Gerczak, Oak Ridge National Laboratory's principal investigator for the cooperative with X-energy's subsidiary TRISO-X. 'The momentum is incredible.' Making the 'most robust nuclear fuel' The Associated Press toured the lab where X-energy is making small amounts of fuel for testing. Anyone beyond a magenta-and-yellow chain that warns of radioactivity must wear gowns, two layers of gloves and radiation monitors. When they leave, they're tested for radioactivity. X-energy, a Maryland-based company, uses uranium to make so-called TRISO fuel — inside what's known as 'pebbles.' Those are the billiard balls. The Energy Department says it's the most robust nuclear fuel on Earth because the particles cannot melt in a reactor. At the lab, the first step is making a uranium cocktail that resembles dark yellow lemonade. Uranium powder, in the form of triuranium octoxide, gets added to nitric acid, said Dan Brown, vice president of fuel development for TRISO-X. Then carbon and an organic solution are added. They have two glass containers set up — one wears a heated jacket, looking almost like a little sweater, that helps the uranium dissolve into the acid solution. The second cools the acid solution while the carbon source is added, which turns the mix near-black, he said. At another station, in a long clear tube, the cocktail solidifies into small black spheres with a jellybean-like consistency. Those black balls, about the size of poppyseeds, then travel through machines under temperatures as high as 1,800 degrees Celsius to get protective carbon coatings — like candy dipping — that make them look like very tiny BBs. X-energy uses graphite and other cohesive materials to bind 18,000 kernels together into a larger sphere. That gets coated in a final layer of graphite to seal the final pebble. In the end, it's strong enough to withstand the weight of an SUV. The pebbles will eventually give up their energy in the high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor X-energy is developing, with about 220,000 pebbles per reactor, like gumballs in a gumball machine. When they exit the bottom, if energy remains, the pebbles will return to the top for another pass. Each one could be used about six times. X-energy also plans to make fuel products for other advanced reactor designs. The national laboratory lends X-energy its expertise, research and high-tech equipment for analysis and will evaluate samples, as will some universities. Other samples are archived. Idaho National Laboratory received a batch for its advanced test reactor, Brown said. Critics of building more nuclear reactors say they're too expensive and riskier than other low-carbon energy sources. 'Without a substantial decrease in construction costs, it's not worth the avoided greenhouse gas emissions,' said David Kemp, a Cato Institute policy analyst. Kemp said Trump's 25-year quadrupling goal is unrealistic because it would mean building nuclear reactors faster than ever. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those two, at a Georgia nuclear plant, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget. Working to 'amp up' domestic nuclear fuel production Many next-generation reactors will use high-assay low-enriched uranium. It's fuel that's enriched to a higher level than traditional large nuclear reactors use, allowing the newer reactors to run longer and more efficiently, sit on smaller footprints and produce less waste, according to the Department of Energy. There's little of it made in the United States right now. Only Russia and China currently have the infrastructure to make large amounts of high-assay low-enriched uranium. In the United States, Centrus Energy produced the nation's first 20 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium in more than 70 years in late 2023, to show it can produce limited quantities for commercial reactors. A big takeaway from Trump's executive orders is the need to 'amp up' domestic production of nuclear fuel to reduce dependence on foreign sources and enable in the long term expansion of American nuclear energy, according to the Energy Department. At the Nuclear Energy Institute trade association, Benjamin Holtzman, director of new nuclear, said he thinks the fuel will be ready for a new generation of U.S. nuclear reactors needed to meet the growing demand for electricity — if the right actions are taken now. X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell said he hopes to help solve the fuel problem so it doesn't hold back new reactor development. The Energy Department has awarded funding to X-energy. Amazon invested in X-energy too, and they're collaborating to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new U.S. power projects online by 2039. X-energy is the only one with an application before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license a new fabrication facility to transform enriched uranium into fuel products for nuclear reactors. Another applicant has asked to amend an existing license to make fuel for advanced reactors, according to the NRC. About five additional companies have told the NRC they are interested in making fuel for advanced reactors. X-energy's pilot lab at the National Laboratory started in 2016. The company now has 100 acres in Oak Ridge and growing for its nuclear fuel production complex. The first factory could be operational by late 2027 or early 2028, capable at full operation of assembling enough fuel orbs to power 11 of its new-age reactors; a second by late 2029, with a capacity four times greater, said TRISO-X President Joel Duling. 'I've been through two or three 'nuclear renaissances,'" Duling said. 'This isn't a renaissance. This is a game-changer.' ___ McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Washington Post
16-07-2025
- Science
- Washington Post
A look inside a lab making the advanced fuel to power growing US nuclear energy ambitions
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Near signs that warn of radioactive risk at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a half-dozen workers from the nuclear power company X-energy are making what appear to be gray billiard balls. Inside, they're packed with thousands of tiny black spheres that each contain a speck of uranium enriched beyond what today's power plants use.
