Meltdown: Stories of nuclear disaster and the human cost of going critical

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Meltdown: Stories of nuclear disaster and the human cost of going critical
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Joel Levy
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:320
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreHistory of science
ISBN/Barcode 9781787394995
ClassificationsDewey:363.179909
Audience
General
Illustrations 50 b&w illus

Publishing Details

Publisher Welbeck Publishing Group
Imprint Welbeck
Publication Date 29 October 2020
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

Meltdown investigates and recreates the dramatic events behind the most notorious nuclear accidents in history, as well as those shrouded in secrecy. Combining human tragedy with intriguing science, each account reveals new aspects of humanity's complex relationship with nuclear power and the ongoing struggle to harness and control it. From the pioneers of Los Alamos who got up close and personal with the cores of atomic bombs, to the hapless engineers in Soviet fuel-processing plants who unwittingly mixed up a disaster in a bucket, and from the terrifying impact of a tsunami at Fukushima to the mystery of the recent Russian incident, Meltdown explores the past and future of this extraordinary and potentially lethal source of infinite power.

Author Biography

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specialising in science, nature and technology for younger audiences. His writing explores both mainstream science and weird technology, from chemistry and physics to death-rays and biomimetic robots. After taking degrees in molecular biology and psychology at Warwick and Edinburgh, he has gone on to write books including Really Useful, the science and history of everyday technology; Poison: A Social History, on the science and lore of poisons; Newton's Notebooks, on the life and discoveries of Isaac Newton; Phobiapedia, an encyclopaedia of the things that scare us most; and A Bee in a Cathedral, exploring analogies and thought experiments in science, nature and technology.