Editor's Summary
6 July 2006
Bomb surprise?
Politically speaking, nuclear weapons testing is a no-no for the United States. But the need to replace the ageing stock of current nuclear weapons is pressing, so scientists are working on a new generation of weapons that will work — if the worst happens — out of the box with no prior testing. It's a tough call and there are critics prepared to say that it won't work, or will be too costly.
News Feature: Nuclear weapons: The next nuke
US nuclear weapons scientists are designing a warhead that is meant to be 'reliable' without ever having been tested. Geoff Brumfiel asks whether it could renew the United States' ageing stockpile.
doi:10.1038/442018a