Dylan Spaulding
@dkspaulding.bsky.social
Senior Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists, Global Security Program. Views are my own.
Blog: blog.ucsusa.org/author/dylan-spaulding/
Blog: blog.ucsusa.org/author/dylan-spaulding/
Pinned
Dylan Spaulding
@dkspaulding.bsky.social
· May 28
Plutonium Pit Production
The US plan to build new plutonium pits for nuclear weapons is unnecessary, risky, and dangerous to the health of workers and communities.
www.ucs.org
I've written a comprehensive report on plutonium pit production - including a critical look at the history, the risks and costs, and the science of Pu aging. Short story: new pits are unnecessary, dangerous, and expensive and alternatives provide a safer future. Please read and circulate! #NukeSky
This entire saga over Trump's suggestion to test only demonstrates how dangerously uninformed he is about his own nuclear arsenal. That, in and of itself, is a national security threat that needs acknowledging.
Exclusive: Department of Energy officials to meet with White House to tamp down Trump’s idea of explosive nuclear testing | CNN Politics
Top energy and nuclear officials in the Trump administration are planning to meet with the White House and National Security Council in the coming days to dissuade President Donald Trump from resuming...
www.cnn.com
November 14, 2025 at 6:28 PM
This entire saga over Trump's suggestion to test only demonstrates how dangerously uninformed he is about his own nuclear arsenal. That, in and of itself, is a national security threat that needs acknowledging.
From my colleague, @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social at @ucs.org, "without appropriate constraints, large-scale production and use of HALEU may greatly increase the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism" and it seems this was recognized decades ago:
Declassified cable reinforces proliferation concerns about high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel
The declassified document reveals an urgent need for an international review of the proliferation risks of HALEU.
thebulletin.org
November 13, 2025 at 6:33 PM
From my colleague, @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social at @ucs.org, "without appropriate constraints, large-scale production and use of HALEU may greatly increase the risks of nuclear proliferation and terrorism" and it seems this was recognized decades ago:
This is a really tragic loss.
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
Lowell Observatory slashes research funding in the midst of financial struggle
Flagstaff’s Lowell Observatory plans to cut nearly all its research funding and reduce the number of paid science staff to just two positions next year.
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This is a really tragic loss.
Today seems like a good time to remember Rosalind Franklin, without whom, James Watson may have never have gained the notoriety his obituaries proclaim. Bonus: she didn't use genetics as a guise to promote the kind of racist and sexist ideas Watson did.
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Today seems like a good time to remember Rosalind Franklin, without whom, James Watson may have never have gained the notoriety his obituaries proclaim. Bonus: she didn't use genetics as a guise to promote the kind of racist and sexist ideas Watson did.
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
My brilliant @ucs.org colleague Chanese Forté interviews two other brilliant folks, Dr. Jan Beyea, and @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social, on the Trump administration's moves to undermine sensible, science-based limits on radiation exposure. Team Trump seems to wants to promote nuclear power at any cost.
Will Politics Put More People’s Health at Risk from Radiation Exposure?
The Trump administration's attack on the science underlying regulations that protect the public from the health risks of radiation exposure could affect many government rules.
blog.ucs.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
My brilliant @ucs.org colleague Chanese Forté interviews two other brilliant folks, Dr. Jan Beyea, and @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social, on the Trump administration's moves to undermine sensible, science-based limits on radiation exposure. Team Trump seems to wants to promote nuclear power at any cost.
Any “scientifically useful” test would take years, according to Dylan Spaulding, senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program. “Anything shorter than that would be nothing more than dangerous political showmanship and would not allow collection of useful data.”
What Trump’s nuclear weapons tests could mean for America and the world
Trump’s command risks a global arms race while the Doomsday clock ticks closer than ever to midnight, experts say
www.the-independent.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Any “scientifically useful” test would take years, according to Dylan Spaulding, senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security Program. “Anything shorter than that would be nothing more than dangerous political showmanship and would not allow collection of useful data.”
Thanks to UPI for reaching out to me for this story on Trump's nuclear testing rhetoric. Its still not clear the admin understands how high the stake are. The US has everything to lose and virtually nothing to gain by returning to explosive nuclear testing.
Experts warn explosive nuclear testing would trigger escalation - UPI.com
President Donald Trump's calls to ramp up nuclear weapons testing have put nuclear watchdogs on alert while experts say the United States has little to gain.
www.upi.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Thanks to UPI for reaching out to me for this story on Trump's nuclear testing rhetoric. Its still not clear the admin understands how high the stake are. The US has everything to lose and virtually nothing to gain by returning to explosive nuclear testing.
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact, according to this new study. Seems important! www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Language models cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact - Nature Machine Intelligence
Suzgun et al. find that current large language models cannot reliably distinguish between belief, knowledge and fact, raising concerns for their use in healthcare, law and journalism, where such disti...
www.nature.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:18 PM
ChatGPT and other AI chatbots cannot reliably distinguish belief from knowledge and fact, according to this new study. Seems important! www.nature.com/articles/s42...
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
FWIW, VADM Correll (nominee to lead USSTRATCOM) a few days ago to SASC: "Neither China or Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test, so I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out. To my knowledge, the last explosive nuclear testing was by North Korea, or DPRK, and that was in 2017"
November 3, 2025 at 4:22 AM
FWIW, VADM Correll (nominee to lead USSTRATCOM) a few days ago to SASC: "Neither China or Russia has conducted a nuclear explosive test, so I’m not reading anything into it or reading anything out. To my knowledge, the last explosive nuclear testing was by North Korea, or DPRK, and that was in 2017"
“They were careless people,” Fitzgerald wrote, “they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
The symbolism is too perfect.
The symbolism is too perfect.
November 1, 2025
Yesterday I wrote that President Donald J.
open.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 5:10 PM
“They were careless people,” Fitzgerald wrote, “they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”
The symbolism is too perfect.
The symbolism is too perfect.
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
Excellent piece on Trump's call to resume nuclear testing in The Independent (and not just because is cites me & my @ucs.org colleague @dkspaulding.bsky.social).
BLUF for Trump, as duly noted by our @nuclearban.bsky.social colleague: Melissa Park: "This is no way to win the Nobel Peace Prize."
BLUF for Trump, as duly noted by our @nuclearban.bsky.social colleague: Melissa Park: "This is no way to win the Nobel Peace Prize."
What Trump’s nuclear weapons tests could mean for America and the world
Trump’s command risks a global arms race while the Doomsday clock ticks closer than ever to midnight, experts say
www.the-independent.com
October 31, 2025 at 8:43 PM
Excellent piece on Trump's call to resume nuclear testing in The Independent (and not just because is cites me & my @ucs.org colleague @dkspaulding.bsky.social).
BLUF for Trump, as duly noted by our @nuclearban.bsky.social colleague: Melissa Park: "This is no way to win the Nobel Peace Prize."
BLUF for Trump, as duly noted by our @nuclearban.bsky.social colleague: Melissa Park: "This is no way to win the Nobel Peace Prize."
In this piece, my colleague @gkucs.bsky.social discusses the implications and potential Chinese response to Trump's recent suggestion that the US will resume nuclear testing. China has much more to gain from testing than the US and its not clear POTUS knows this. @ucs.org #Nukesky
China Has the Most to Gain from New Nuclear Tests
President Trump announced the United States will resume nuclear testing, but if China follows suit, he may regret this decision.
blog.ucs.org
October 31, 2025 at 3:41 PM
In this piece, my colleague @gkucs.bsky.social discusses the implications and potential Chinese response to Trump's recent suggestion that the US will resume nuclear testing. China has much more to gain from testing than the US and its not clear POTUS knows this. @ucs.org #Nukesky
Murmurs from this admin about nuclear testing are not new, which is why earlier this year, we published this piece in the @thebulletin.org on why a rapid test as a show of force is a BAD, BAD idea.
Donald Trump has reportedly told the Pentagon to resume nuclear tests (though it's unclear if he refers to explosive or missile tests).
Here's a thread of relevant Bulletin articles, beginning with this 2025 piece by Sulgiye Park, Jennifer Knox, and @dkspaulding.bsky.social. ⬇️
Here's a thread of relevant Bulletin articles, beginning with this 2025 piece by Sulgiye Park, Jennifer Knox, and @dkspaulding.bsky.social. ⬇️
Why it would be a bad idea for the Trump administration to conduct a "rapid" nuclear test
The goal of conducting a fast-tracked nuclear test can only be political, not scientific. The United States has much to lose and little to gain from a new test.
thebulletin.org
October 30, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Murmurs from this admin about nuclear testing are not new, which is why earlier this year, we published this piece in the @thebulletin.org on why a rapid test as a show of force is a BAD, BAD idea.
Earlier this year, Nevada passed a (bipartisan!) resolution, AJR 13, opposing the resumption of nuclear testing. Nuclear testing comes with potential harms to people and the environment and NV doesn't want it. Here's what I told the state legislature about why any return to testing is a bad idea:
Putting Science to Work for Security: A Call to Prevent Nuclear Testing
Scientists have a role to play in protecting our collective future by speaking in opposition to a resumption of nuclear weapons testing.
blog.ucs.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Earlier this year, Nevada passed a (bipartisan!) resolution, AJR 13, opposing the resumption of nuclear testing. Nuclear testing comes with potential harms to people and the environment and NV doesn't want it. Here's what I told the state legislature about why any return to testing is a bad idea:
The president has ordered the “Department of War” to immediately resume nuclear testing. Here’s a thread on what you need to know (1/n)
October 30, 2025 at 4:33 AM
The president has ordered the “Department of War” to immediately resume nuclear testing. Here’s a thread on what you need to know (1/n)
The Pentagon objects to the depiction of missile defense in House of Dynamite but, according to my colleague, @lauraegrego.bsky.social, "the GMD system has not been shown to work under realistic conditions...[its] test program is like T-ball practice when the real world is major league baseball."
A House of Dynamite Gets It Right—But Here’s the Full Picture
The Pentagon is wrong to attack the movie for being inaccurate. We cannot rely on missile defense systems to protect us from nuclear destruction.
blog.ucs.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:36 PM
The Pentagon objects to the depiction of missile defense in House of Dynamite but, according to my colleague, @lauraegrego.bsky.social, "the GMD system has not been shown to work under realistic conditions...[its] test program is like T-ball practice when the real world is major league baseball."
Funny how its so easy to say this when you're a 70 year old white male worth more than $100 billion dollars.
Bill Gates softens 'Climate Disaster' approach, says too many resources are going to fight the problem
Bill Gates softens 'Climate Disaster' approach, says too many resources are going to fight the problem
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says countries and leaders need to shift their approach to climate change and focus on 'improving lives'
cnb.cx
October 28, 2025 at 11:13 PM
Funny how its so easy to say this when you're a 70 year old white male worth more than $100 billion dollars.
This piece in the @nytimes.com highlights many of the risks and challenges facing plutonium pit production that we analyzed in our recent @ucs.org report:
✨ www.ucs.org/resources/pl...
The current plan is unnecessary, expensive, and risky and there are many alternatives that could increase safety
✨ www.ucs.org/resources/pl...
The current plan is unnecessary, expensive, and risky and there are many alternatives that could increase safety
In a Looming Nuclear Arms Race, Aging Los Alamos Faces a Major Test
www.nytimes.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM
This piece in the @nytimes.com highlights many of the risks and challenges facing plutonium pit production that we analyzed in our recent @ucs.org report:
✨ www.ucs.org/resources/pl...
The current plan is unnecessary, expensive, and risky and there are many alternatives that could increase safety
✨ www.ucs.org/resources/pl...
The current plan is unnecessary, expensive, and risky and there are many alternatives that could increase safety
Please check out this great piece - the first by our talented Scoville Fellow, Sean Manning - on the new Netflix film "House of Dynamite" in which he shows that ".. the quest for absolute security through missile defense exacerbates the very cycle of insecurity it aims to end." Nor does it work.
Don't Get the Wrong Takeaway from 'A House of Dynamite'
Director Kathryn Bigelow's new nuclear thriller 'A House of Dynamite' hinges on the failure of the US anti-missile system.
inkstickmedia.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Please check out this great piece - the first by our talented Scoville Fellow, Sean Manning - on the new Netflix film "House of Dynamite" in which he shows that ".. the quest for absolute security through missile defense exacerbates the very cycle of insecurity it aims to end." Nor does it work.
"We silence so much when we tear down places that are there to teach us, inspire us, humble us. Ghosts and memories drift away in the dust, the wreckage, and we are all poorer as a result."
Opinion | When My Family Lived in the White House I Resented It. Now I Mourn It.
www.nytimes.com
October 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
"We silence so much when we tear down places that are there to teach us, inspire us, humble us. Ghosts and memories drift away in the dust, the wreckage, and we are all poorer as a result."
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
Some doctoral programmes in the US are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
go.nature.com/4o63boK
go.nature.com/4o63boK
US PhD admissions shrink as fears over Trump’s cuts take hold
Some doctoral programmes are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding.
go.nature.com
October 22, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Some doctoral programmes in the US are admitting no students at all amid uncertainty about federal science funding
go.nature.com/4o63boK
go.nature.com/4o63boK
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
"US offers nuclear energy companies access to weapons-grade plutonium"
US offers nuclear energy companies access to weapons-grade plutonium
Expert warns commercial use of the radioactive material from cold war-era warheads carries safety risks
www.ft.com
October 22, 2025 at 11:09 PM
"US offers nuclear energy companies access to weapons-grade plutonium"
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
Reposted by Dylan Spaulding
"Viewpoint diversity" about whether human activity is warming the planet, or whether vaccines work, is like "viewpoint diversity" about whether the sky is blue or whether the Earth is round. It falls outside the range of good faith scientific and academic discourse.
#ScienceUnderSiege
#ScienceUnderSiege
October 21, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"Viewpoint diversity" about whether human activity is warming the planet, or whether vaccines work, is like "viewpoint diversity" about whether the sky is blue or whether the Earth is round. It falls outside the range of good faith scientific and academic discourse.
#ScienceUnderSiege
#ScienceUnderSiege
