A massive concrete dome containing tens of thousands of tons of radioactive waste is deteriorating in the Pacific Ocean, raising serious long-term safety concerns.
Known as the Runit Dome (or simply “The Tomb”), the structure was built by the United States between 1977 and 1980 on Runit Island in the Marshall Islands. It entombs more than 120,000 tons of radioactive soil, debris, and contaminated material from decades of U.S. nuclear weapons testing in the region.
The waste is buried inside a crater left by the 18-kiloton “Cactus” nuclear test detonated in 1958. Some of the nuclear explosions conducted across the Marshall Islands were reportedly up to 1,000 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Originally designed as a temporary solution, the dome was never meant to last indefinitely. Today, cracks have appeared in the concrete, and seawater is already seeping into the underlying crater through the porous coral foundation. While current leakage levels remain relatively low, scientists are growing increasingly worried about the future.
Runit Island sits just 6.5 feet (2 meters) above sea level. With climate change driving sea level rise, projected to reach roughly 3 feet (1 meter) by 2100 in the region, the risks of flooding, storm surges, and accelerated erosion are rising. Experts warn that a major storm or further structural failure could spread radioactive contaminants into the surrounding lagoon and broader marine environment.
Among the most concerning materials inside is plutonium-239, which remains dangerously radioactive for over 24,000 years.
For the people of the Marshall Islands, the crumbling dome has become a powerful symbol of both the nuclear legacy left by decades of testing and the new threats posed by a changing climate. What was meant to be a short-term fix now faces an uncertain and potentially hazardous future.
Swedish warship Vasa sank to the bottom of the Baltic Sea in 1628.
In 1961 it was salvaged and the wood was still strong enough to be able to walk the decks.
Today is the world's best-preserved XVII century ship.
A 2-billion-year-old rock just revived an old alien theory.
Fresh findings from NASA and Japan’s space agency reveal that asteroid Bennu—a carbon-rich relic from the solar system’s infancy—contains key ingredients of life: 14 of the 20 amino acids used by Earth’s organisms, plus chemical precursors to DNA and RNA.
Confirmed in January 2025 by the OSIRIS-REx mission, these molecules were locked inside pristine rock untouched since before Earth itself existed. They bolster panspermia, the idea that life’s raw materials arrived from space rather than emerging here.
Picture Earth cooling from its fiery birth. Comets and asteroids, loaded with stable organic compounds, slammed into the young planet, delivering the chemical seeds of biology. Panspermia needs no live passengers—just durable molecules that can spark complexity on a hospitable world.
In short: life may not have begun on Earth; it may have been assembled here from cosmic imports.
For years, skeptics questioned whether fragile organics could survive the void, atmospheric incineration, or explosive impact. Yet lab tests and missions like OSIRIS-REx now show many can. If Bennu carries life’s toolkit, the universe may be seeded with it everywhere.
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Kraft Heinz strikes a multiyear deal to become the exclusive condiment, mac and cheese, and cream cheese provider at Disney's North American parks, resorts, and cruise line ships.
Robert Downey Jr. has revealed what Marvel Studios and the Russo Brothers hope to achieve with the next Avengers movies and reveals who is the bigger threat: Doctor Doom or Thanos.