Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, February 8, 2024

ALLISON MACFARLANE
Congress torpedoes a Biden nominee and casts doubt on nuclear safety

Biden’s decision to drop Jeff Baran’s nomination for another term with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission is a blow to the independence of the agency—and the safety and security of the country. Read more.

MARTIN E. HELLMAN
Daniel Ellsberg’s message to us, and to future generations

51 years ago, the US Senate established a committee to investigate what would eventually be called the Watergate scandal. It all began with the Pentagon Papers leak by then-RAND analyst Daniel Ellsberg, who passed away last year. Read more.

UPCOMING EVENTS
This weekend: Classic films and expert talk-backs.

For Chicago-based Bulletin readers: join us for a series of screenings including Godzilla, Don’t Look Up, Contagion, and War Games. Use discount code BULLETIN when you sign up.

ROBERT ALVAREZ
The fallout never ended

Human radiation experiments. Bare-bones safety standards for government workers. Evacuations from land irradiated by nuclear weapons tests. In case you missed it: the path to justice for radiation victims of US nuclear weapons program. Read more.

QUOTE OF THE DAY
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“A white paper published by Open AI last week poured gasoline on the growing debate over the possibility that terrorists, or scientists, or just mischief-makers could use artificial intelligence to build a world-ending bioweapon.”

—Brendan Bordelon, The fight over AI biosecurity risk takes a twist, Politico

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