TECHNOLOGY: The Great Nuclear Fusion Race

Energy in limitless supply from a universally available fuel. Energy created by a process that is relatively harmless to the environment and leaves behind no byproduct that can be converted into dangerous weapons. To a world facing the long, frigid night of fuel shortages, it seems like a glorious dream. That dream may be somewhat closer to reality than most people realize. In laboratories in the U.S., the Soviet Union, Western Europe and Japan, scientists are involved in a spirited competition to become the first to achieve one of the most important—and...

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