Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, October 27th 2025

Posted: 28th October 2025

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October 27, 2025

(Image via Netflix)

What we should be talking about after watching Bigelow’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ nuclear thriller

By Mark Goodman

‘A House of Dynamite’ is a welcome and useful reminder that the dangers of nuclear weapons never went away—and an invitation to discuss how to deal with them, writes a former senior scientist at the US State Department. Read more.

A conversation with Kathryn Bigelow, director of ‘A House of Dynamite,’ and screenwriter Noah Oppenheim

By John Mecklin

“I mean, we talk a lot about the fact that the nuclear threat has fallen out of focus for a long time for the general public. But there is this incredible community of policy experts and journalists who’ve never stopped thinking about it, worrying about it, analyzing it,” says Noah Oppenheim. Read more.

‘A House of Dynamite’: Bigelow’s latest thriller shows why nuclear bombs are only part of the danger

By Erik English

“The film doesn’t want viewers to ask themselves how to thwart a nuclear attack on the United States. Rather, it wants the viewer to question the value of having nuclear weapons at all.” Read more.

A Bulletin resource guide to viewing ‘A House of Dynamite‘

By Avery Restrepo

If you’ve watched Netflix’s recent nuclear movie, you may have some lingering questions. The Bulletin archive has answers. Read more.

Upcoming event

Autocracy and the university in America today

By Leon Botstein

“Assuming that Trump and his MAGA allies—including isolationists, Christian nationalists, and white supremacists—can and will be discredited and defeated, the damage done by Trump with respect to universities must be repaired,” writes the president of Bard College. “But that repair should not be misunderstood as a restoration to the status quo ante.” This Bulletin magazine article is available to all readers for a limited time.

BULLETIN EMAIL SERIES

Atomic Cinema

Discover curated collections of Bulletin articles that unpack how nuclear films shaped public perception, political discourse, and the cultural imagination of the atomic age. Sign up today.

UPCOMING EVENT

Experts React: Netflix’s ‘A House of Dynamite‘

A nuclear missile is headed towards the United States in ‘A House of Dynamite’, Netflix’s new movie from director Kathryn Bigelow. How accurately does the movie depict the initial reactions of a known launch? What is America’s capacity to defend against a direct nuclear strike? Join the Bulletin to hear expert answers on these questions and on how the movie can spark more conversation about arms control and deterrence.

This virtual discussion will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 11:30 A.M. Central / 12:30 P.M. Eastern. Register to attend here.

Recent articles

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• Despite what’s happening in the USA, renewables are winning globally

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The recent mosquito sightings in Iceland are likely linked to the effects of climate change [...] Rising global temperatures and milder winters are creating more favorable conditions for mosquitoes to survive and reproduce in regions that were previously too cold for them.”

— Carla Vieira, scientist at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia, “Iceland spots its first mosquitoes amid concerns over warming climate,” The Washington Post

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