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Objecting to the atomic bomb
CULTURELAB
Joseph Rotblat was troubled by the dark legacy of nuclear science, finds Edwin Lyman Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience: The life and work of Joseph Rotblat by Andrew Brown, Oxford University Press, £18.99/$29.95
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OMIKRON/PHOTO RESEARCHERS INC/SPL
A call to disarm
^qljf`_lj_molgb`q+>iqelrde >qqfjbp)Hbbmbolcqeb efpjlo^inr^ijp`ib^oivtbob^ Kr`ib^o@lkp`fbk`bpbbjp^p j^glojlqfs^qfkdc^`qlo)?oltk jr`e^efpqlovlcqebMrdt^pe mobpbkqp^jlob`ljmibupqlov+ `lkcbobk`bp^p^_fldo^mev Te^qbsboefpjlqfs^qflkp) lcOlq_i^q+Vbq?oltkj^hbp^ Olq_i^qÑpabm^oqrobcoljqeb `lksfk`fkd`^pbqe^qqebqtl J^ke^qq^kMolgb`qpb^ibaefpc^qb tbobpl`ilpbivfkqboqtfkbaqe^q ^p^klrqpfabo7ebib^okba^_lrq Olq_i^qabpbosbppljb`obafqclo fqpÎpr``bppÏcolj^kbtpobmloq+ ^iifqp^``ljmifpejbkqp+ Pqfii)ebt^pabqbojfkbaqlmi^v^ ?bvlkafqppr``bppbp)qeb_llh j^gloolibfkbpq^_ifpefkdmlif`fbp ^iplabq^fipMrdt^peÑpj^kv ql`lkqoliqeb_lj_qe^qebe^a fkqbokb`fkb`lkcif`qpÌpr`e^p ebimbaqlabsbilm+ “Even as cold war mistrust Efppq^qrob^p^kr`ib^o mevpf`fpqbk^_ibaefjqlmolsfab reached fever pitch, he brought together Soviet efde*ibsbibumboq^asf`b^ka and western scientists” efpmr_if`t^okfkdp^_lrqqeb a^kdboplcc^iilrqcoljevaoldbk tebqeboqeblod^kfp^qflkpelria _lj_qbpqppllko^khibatfqe mroprbOlq_i^qÑpsfpflklc^k qebRP^kaRHkr`ib^otb^mlkp fkqbok^qflk^iivsbofcfbakr`ib^o bpq^_ifpejbkqp+ tb^mlk*cobbtloialo^jlob Nuclear weapons testing: banned mo^dj^qf`)fk`objbkq^i^mmol^`e since 1963, underwater or in space ql^ojp`lkqoli+Olq_i^q)tel mboflaf`^iivcifoqbatfqeqebfab^ lctloiadlsbokjbkq)t^pilkd `lk`bokbaqe^qqeb`lk`bmqlc k^qflk^iplsbobfdkqvbkpeofkba fkqebRK`e^oqboefkabobaqeb fkqbok^qflk^ifkpmb`qflk^ka bkclo`bjbkqkb`bpp^ovql ^_lifpekr`ib^otb^mlkp)^ka riqfj^qbivt^ofqpbic+Qla^v) tebkj^kvk^qflkpolrqfkbiv fkslhbÎk^qflk^iplsbobfdkqvÏql _il`hfkqbok^qflk^ifkfqf^qfsbpql piltqebmolifcbo^qflklcpbkpfqfsb kr`ib^oc^`fifqfbp)fk`ob^pbqeb pb`rofqvlckr`ib^oj^qbof^ip^ka pqobkdqebkqebp^cbqvlckr`ib^o mltbomi^kqp)fqfpe^oaqlabkv qe^qOlq_i^qe^a^mlfkq+ Qelrdeeb`lriaaltfqelrq pljr`epmb`ri^qflk^_lrq qebcbbifkdplcs^oflrpmi^vbop) ?oltkÑprpblckrjbolrp fkqbosfbtp)fk`irafkdlkb tfqeOlq_i^qefjpbic)j^hbclo `ljmbiifkdob^afkd+Lsbo^ii) HbbmbolcqebKr`ib^o@lkp`fbk`b fp^cfkbtlohqe^qir`faivabmf`qp qeb`e^iibkdbpc^`ba_vOlq_i^q ^kaefpMrdt^pe`liib^drbp^p qebvobibkqibppivmroprba^jlob mb^`bcritloia+N Edwin Lyman is a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington DC
52 | NewScientist | 28 January 2012
110128_Op_CLab.indd 52
23/1/12 15:51:13
Joseph Rotblat was troubled by the dark legacy of nuclear science, finds Edwin Lyman Keeper of the Nuclear Conscience: The life and work of Joseph Rotblat by Andrew Brown, Oxford University Press, £18.99/$29.95
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OMIKRON/PHOTO RESEARCHERS INC/SPL
A call to disarm
^qljf`_lj_molgb`q+>iqelrde >qqfjbp)Hbbmbolcqeb efpjlo^inr^ijp`ib^oivtbob^ Kr`ib^o@lkp`fbk`bpbbjp^p j^glojlqfs^qfkdc^`qlo)?oltk jr`e^efpqlovlcqebMrdt^pe mobpbkqp^jlob`ljmibupqlov+ `lkcbobk`bp^p^_fldo^mev Te^qbsboefpjlqfs^qflkp) lcOlq_i^q+Vbq?oltkj^hbp^ Olq_i^qÑpabm^oqrobcoljqeb `lksfk`fkd`^pbqe^qqebqtl J^ke^qq^kMolgb`qpb^ibaefpc^qb tbobpl`ilpbivfkqboqtfkbaqe^q ^p^klrqpfabo7ebib^okba^_lrq Olq_i^qabpbosbppljb`obafqclo fqpÎpr``bppÏcolj^kbtpobmloq+ ^iifqp^``ljmifpejbkqp+ Pqfii)ebt^pabqbojfkbaqlmi^v^ ?bvlkafqppr``bppbp)qeb_llh j^gloolibfkbpq^_ifpefkdmlif`fbp ^iplabq^fipMrdt^peÑpj^kv ql`lkqoliqeb_lj_qe^qebe^a fkqbokb`fkb`lkcif`qpÌpr`e^p ebimbaqlabsbilm+ “Even as cold war mistrust Efppq^qrob^p^kr`ib^o mevpf`fpqbk^_ibaefjqlmolsfab reached fever pitch, he brought together Soviet efde*ibsbibumboq^asf`b^ka and western scientists” efpmr_if`t^okfkdp^_lrqqeb a^kdboplcc^iilrqcoljevaoldbk tebqeboqeblod^kfp^qflkpelria _lj_qbpqppllko^khibatfqe mroprbOlq_i^qÑpsfpflklc^k qebRP^kaRHkr`ib^otb^mlkp fkqbok^qflk^iivsbofcfbakr`ib^o bpq^_ifpejbkqp+ tb^mlk*cobbtloialo^jlob Nuclear weapons testing: banned mo^dj^qf`)fk`objbkq^i^mmol^`e since 1963, underwater or in space ql^ojp`lkqoli+Olq_i^q)tel mboflaf`^iivcifoqbatfqeqebfab^ lctloiadlsbokjbkq)t^pilkd `lk`bokbaqe^qqeb`lk`bmqlc k^qflk^iplsbobfdkqvbkpeofkba fkqebRK`e^oqboefkabobaqeb fkqbok^qflk^ifkpmb`qflk^ka bkclo`bjbkqkb`bpp^ovql ^_lifpekr`ib^otb^mlkp)^ka riqfj^qbivt^ofqpbic+Qla^v) tebkj^kvk^qflkpolrqfkbiv fkslhbÎk^qflk^iplsbobfdkqvÏql _il`hfkqbok^qflk^ifkfqf^qfsbpql piltqebmolifcbo^qflklcpbkpfqfsb kr`ib^oc^`fifqfbp)fk`ob^pbqeb pb`rofqvlckr`ib^oj^qbof^ip^ka pqobkdqebkqebp^cbqvlckr`ib^o mltbomi^kqp)fqfpe^oaqlabkv qe^qOlq_i^qe^a^mlfkq+ Qelrdeeb`lriaaltfqelrq pljr`epmb`ri^qflk^_lrq qebcbbifkdplcs^oflrpmi^vbop) ?oltkÑprpblckrjbolrp fkqbosfbtp)fk`irafkdlkb tfqeOlq_i^qefjpbic)j^hbclo `ljmbiifkdob^afkd+Lsbo^ii) HbbmbolcqebKr`ib^o@lkp`fbk`b fp^cfkbtlohqe^qir`faivabmf`qp qeb`e^iibkdbpc^`ba_vOlq_i^q ^kaefpMrdt^pe`liib^drbp^p qebvobibkqibppivmroprba^jlob mb^`bcritloia+N Edwin Lyman is a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington DC
52 | NewScientist | 28 January 2012
110128_Op_CLab.indd 52
23/1/12 15:51:13