Nuclear Fission’s Dual Legacy: From Wartime Weapon to Contested Clean-Energy Hope

Nuclear fission, discovered in the early 20th century, quickly became synonymous with destruction when the United States used it to bomb two Japanese cities. Less than ten years later, proponents rebranded the same process as a solution for cheap, abundant electricity, suggesting users might not even need to pay for power. In practice, those optimistic forecasts have not been realised, and nuclear energy remains costly and controversial.

The article appears in a Nature Outlook supplement produced with financial support from Oklo Inc., yet Nature asserts full editorial autonomy. It uses this historical perspective to question whether nuclear power can truly deliver a clean-energy future.