Major milestone for Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse @INL: @ENERGY just approved our Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis (PDSA), making Aurora-INL the largest electric-output reactor design publicly announced to receive PDSA approval under DOE's Reactor Pilot Program to date.
The approval advances Aurora-INL’s preliminary safety basis and creates a framework that future Aurora deployments can build on to make each successive project easier to replicate.
For Oklo, Aurora-INL is more than our first powerhouse. It's the foundation for repeatable deployment.
More ->
https://t.co/nHdUBeT22E
Two sites. Two reactors. One integrated nuclear platform.
@INL, construction is advancing on Oklo’s first commercial Aurora powerhouse, bringing clean, reliable power closer to reality. Our team and @kiewit have excavated enough material to fill 20 Olympic swimming pools in preparation for the reactor foundation.
In Texas, our Groves isotope test reactor is approaching criticality. Groves is helping Oklo develop the experience, supply chains, and capabilities needed to make advanced nuclear deployment faster and more repeatable.
This is what deployment looks like. Watch the latest progress.
https://t.co/yzHA9swDKY
What if the materials we currently treat as nuclear waste could help power the future?
Oklo Co-Founder and COO @caorilne joined Madison Hilly on ZeroHedge for a conversation on fuel recycling, advanced nuclear, isotope production, and the growing demand for clean, reliable energy.
From the untapped energy in used nuclear fuel to the infrastructure needed for AI and industrial growth, they discuss how advanced nuclear can strengthen America’s energy future.
Watch the full interview:
https://t.co/X2SorXRfow
We received the studies from the French and Spanish who were able to publish their findings early into COVID. We fought to keep our cigar store open during the shutdowns. No telling how many people we saved.
REPORT: Theo Von asked Dr. McCullough if anyone was “immune” to COVID, and his answer caught almost everyone off guard.
THEO VON: “Was there anybody who was immune to COVID-19?”
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “There’s one adult group. You’re going to laugh.”
[Theo Von listens closely for the reveal]
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “Smokers… They got very mild cases. And they don’t get long COVID.”
THEO VON: “Why?”
MCCULLOUGH: “Because smokers maintain a level of nicotine in the bloodstream… Smoking blocks the spike protein. It’s amazing. I thought smokers were going to go down.”
THEO VON: “Do you think that’s a good idea [to use nicotine patches] on a regular basis?”
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “I think [it’s a good idea] if they have long COVID... Nicotine, don’t forget, is a nootropic. A nootropic is a drug that makes the brain function more effectively... It’s addictive, but it’s not harmful to the human body... Nicotine patches are perfectly safe.”
The clip quickly went viral, racking up more than 4 million views on X alone.
To be clear, Dr. McCullough is not encouraging anyone to start smoking. His point is that nicotine itself is not the primary source of tobacco’s health risks. Rather, he argues that tar and other toxic substances in tobacco smoke are responsible for much of the damage.
“Nicotine patches are perfectly safe,” he says.
Epidemiologist @NicHulscher quote-tweeted the post with additional context that backs up Dr. McCullough’s claims.
He wrote:
“A recent study found nicotine patches fully RESOLVED long COVID symptoms in some patients within DAYS. Spike protein hijacks nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Nicotine blocks spike from binding to them, restoring normal signaling. This likely also applies to long VACCINE.”
What keeps a reactor safe? In Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse, safety is built into the physics. Inherent physical responses automatically stabilize the reactor under changing conditions. That means the same forces that drive the operation also stabilize it.
These principles were proven 40 years ago in reactors like Experimental Breeder Reactor-II & Fast Flux Test Facility. Now, those same principles are the foundation for Oklo’s fast reactor technology today.
Proven in practice, not just theory.
Learn more: https://t.co/043kh2yG0Y
Last month, Oklo CEO Jake DeWitte joined @SpencerJCox and the @abundanceinst at the Operation Gigawatt Summit in Utah.
The discussions focused on the growing role advanced nuclear can play in meeting rising energy demand from AI, data centers, industrial growth, and electrification.
The summit also highlighted the opportunities nuclear can create across research, workforce development, supply chains, and economic development. That interest is reflected in Governor Cox's engagement with the industry—from policy conversations to attending milestones like Oklo's Aurora powerhouse groundbreaking at Idaho National Laboratory last year.
THEO VON: “Was there anybody who was immune to COVID-19?”
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “There’s one adult group. You’re going to laugh.”
[Theo Von listens closely for the reveal]
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “Smokers… They got very mild cases. And they don’t get long COVID.”
THEO VON: “Why?”
MCCULLOUGH: “Because smokers maintain a level of nicotine in the bloodstream… Smoking blocks the spike protein. It’s amazing. I thought smokers were going to go down.”
THEO VON: “Do you think that’s a good idea [to use nicotine patches] on a regular basis?”
DR. MCCULLOUGH: “I think [it’s a good idea] if they have long COVID... Nicotine, don’t forget, is a nootropic. A nootropic is a drug that makes the brain function more effectively... It’s addictive, but it’s not harmful to the human body... Nicotine patches are perfectly safe.”
This video is PEAK comedy gold. I felt this in my SOUL. 😂
“Can’t stand these fckn bicyclists” — my brother, you just narrated my morning commute.
He nails it: Grown-ass men in skin-tight neon spandex outfits looking like a pack of radioactive Power Rangers, riding three-wide like it’s the Peloton Championships on a residential road. No one’s handing out medals at the cul-de-sac, Kyle. You’re not transporting a heart for surgery. You’re just expensive, slow-moving road geese with $10k carbon fiber attitudes.
One? Fine. Eight? That’s a tactical formation. That’s how civilizations fall.
I’m honking, I’m crying, I’m in agreement. Save us from the Lycra Legion. He nails every reason I can’t stand the bicycle militia.
Today, Oklo was selected by @ENERGY for advanced negotiations under the Surplus Plutonium Utilization Program, supporting a pathway to convert surplus plutonium already designated for disposal into bridge fuel for advanced reactors to deliver clean, reliable power.
Read more ->
https://t.co/H91LlmE4NF
“Republican voters don't want a better negotiator with Democrats. We want someone who can defeat Democrats and win over public opinion to reverse misguided policies, starting with rescinding the governor's electric vehicle mandates, repealing the so-called Immigrant Safety Act and other job-killing legislation, and embracing the lifeblood of New Mexico's economy, oil and natural gas.”
Check out Jeff Tucker’s opinion piece in the Albuquerque Journal:
If we had a stronger Ethics Commission. The NM Legislature is wrought with corruption. How many sit on the board of a non-profit(s) and use their elected positions to funnel money to that "non-profit" thus enriching themselves? A Governor who has the power to investigate and the will to reveal, would clean this state up quick. As a private citizen, I hit a wall at a certain point and am denied information.
@DukeforNM@NewMexicoRanger@grok And the power of the Bully Pulpit. Fireside Chats are way underrated. A governor who spends more time sharing the facts and the indictments with the constituents will see the most success.
Every politician promises to “cut taxes.” I’m done with that. As Governor, I’ll ELIMINATE them — state income tax, retail sales tax, and property tax on homes you own. Gone.
In less than two months, Oklo’s isotope test reactor will go critical.
We’re building, iterating, and executing in real time across power, fuel, and isotopes.
Follow our journey: https://t.co/28lyGSS380
@LeticiaMunozNM I know a lot of independents who are voting Bregman in an attempt to keep Halaand out of the General. Won't happen. Halaand has been chosen. Only @DukeforNM can beat Halaand in the general election.