Physicist Dr. Michio Kaku Discussing Nuclear Plant Dangers

[GunnyZoSo]

fusion reactor FTW

[RedSkyNord]

Fukushima Reactor still ‘Insufficient,'.

[7juaninho7]

dammmm nature you scary!

[SahMai]

@dcsensui Japan was hit with the HAARP! By the American government!!

And they are going to be hit again with an earthquake very soon!! Japan is not doing what America wants them to do! More earthquakes, tsunamis, very bad weather for the globe! Through the use of HAARP! Food shortages!! Microchip for all 2012! Depopulation is taking place now! Michio is a FREEMASON HE IS ONE OF THEM! RESEARCH THIS. He works for Nasa!! Nasa is run by the ILLUMINATI! He is not what you think he is!

[Keinlicht]

@SahMai HAARP? Wasnt that a program with an artillery peice?

..so you're blaming guns for this? you must be anti-gun

[SahMai]

BUNCH OF IDIOTS!! He is a FREEMASO!! He works for the illuminati! Research this!

He is paid to make up shit by Nasa! Nasa is run by the illuminate right from day one!

YOU PEOPLE WILL NEVER WAKE UP!

He is one of them! He is part of the New World Order!

[blackoni373]

so this is how zombies came to be..

[LiborTichy77]

He is beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeest <333333333333

[Snoot501]

Oh well yes, pursuing nuclear power as our energy alternative is clearly worth the risk. It's not like if something happens to go wrong the whole planet is in danger. Let's built more!

[curingaging00]

@Snoot501 although I love renewables like wind solar, nuclear is still a much much better alternative to coal and oil. It just needs to be set up much safely.

[Poseidon3987]

@Ponthegan You are DAMN RIGHT! You people need to back off on Dr Kaku. Because I think that you need to cleanse your brains or something, because I don't feel that your neurons are grasping the fact that a THEORY is a HYPOTHESIS!!!! No confirmed, well in some cases it is, but you need to get my point, peeps. This is coming from a 12 year old kid, Like SERIOUSLY, accept new ideas. Like, what Ponthegan said: Stop sticking your damn heads in the sand, like ostriches.

[dcsensui]

When Kaku did this interview, Japan was declaring a "level 5" emergency. Kaku said it was a "level 7." Today, that's exactly where it is. And the evacuation distance was also increased.

Japan has to stop goofing around with this. As Kaku recommended, bury it. Or risk losing a huge chunk of the surrounding countryside for generations, and poisoning the nearby sea.

[MaBuSt]

@watisupdood sorry, are you a nuclear physicist? a nuclear engineer perhaps? If you think that this is how a scientist responsibly tells people the ' truth' then you have been watching/reading irresponsible reporting.

[inspectorcrud]

I suspected that the earthquake in Christchurch may lead to an aftershock that would trigger another earthquake, and said so at the time to friends. If I could make that prediction without any knowledge of seismology, how could TEPCO risk running their power stations at 100% operation following the New Zealand disaster when say 60% or 70% for two weeks would have been sensible?

[XPLAlN]

"a car without brakes and then the radiator explodes". Because you're really in trouble if your engine overheats just before you crash into a truck at 80mph?

Hmm, this guy doesn't seem to have much expertise in either power stations or OR cars.

[StandingRedPanda]

Greenpeace activists were all these years ignorantly talking about how dangerous nuclear is, it's a disaster waiting to happen (and anything else that scares them). Then we replied "no, no, it's safe, statistically". And now their warnings came true and I'm not saying anything other than "oh, no". I was also drinking sake that day, I looked on wiki just to see the big news and I got really the biggest news. Oh snap! Lets just hope it won't poison the fish. Tuna is already too poisonous to eat.

[PLASMAVITY]

this is done by aliens ?oh my god

[SamuelRiv]

I will echo that Kaku is not an expert in this field, and if it sounds like he's fear-mongering and exaggerating, it's because he is. He is a long-time vocal activist for nuclear non-proliferation (see tinyurl 6cdfvbk for excerpts of a 2008 interview where he advocates for complete ban on nuclear power on Earth) and it is irresponsible for both him and ABC to not make clear his political bias.

[dalellll]

@SamuelRiv "Political bias"? When a nuclear plant releases radiation, and someone who opposes nuclear plants because they are concerned about releases of radiation then goes and points out that there is a huge danger of that plant releasing more radiation, it becomes rather inane to accuse them of "political bias".

Seems to me that hidden political bias rests with the idiot who claims that an anti-nuclear activist who dares comment upon a real life nuclear accident is acting innappropriately.

[dalellll]

@SamuelRiv Missed it at first, but you also contradicted yourself almost openly (while twisting logic into a pretzel by accusing him of "political bias" in relation to a politically significant event); calling Kaku both "a long-time vocal activist for nuclear non-proliferation" & somehow, "not an expert in this field". The activists I know - especially "long-term", vocal ones - make it their moral imperative to educate themselves on their issue anyway; but Kaku happens to be a physicist as well.

[PznRen]

This guy knows how to make panic...

[KaohiWaianae]

We are talking inducement not impacting like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Radiation poisioning does get into lungs, etc, and one starts the dying which is whats happening when we are born. But, this is different in the time allowed humans reproduce.Birth defects spike, medical bills, and long term care happens to some communities more than others.Here in Hawaii we have military spread of nuclear isotopes in every community that is at cause for many deaths. But, they are too many variables for truth.

[Missionary117]

What did he say at 1:57????

haha

[Missionary117]

What the hell did he say at 1:57????

[chopsueykungfu]

I thought Chernobyl began with a chemical explosion. That would make it different to what's going on in Japan.

[sleepless4201]

Hey, its the master of the universe, Michio Kaku.(Sarcasm)

[man4Sam]

@tutt99 He is anti nuclear? I wonder why. Let's see: 3 Mile Island, Chernobyl deaths from leukemia and other cancers, and now this, the question is why are you *defending* such a terrible and dangerous technology? You like genocide?

[buugiman78]

@man4Sam I don't think anyone's particulary fond of nuclear fission power. Except from some share holders perhaps ;-) The problem is that we really do not have any good alternatives at hand. And even if we did it would be impossible to make the transition over night. I am frustrated with Greenpeace and other opportunists who shout "death to nuclear". They seem to be more interested in short term publicity than actually changing the world. Present realistic scenarios and people will listen.

[dalellll]

@buugiman78 The problem is, nobody in power is BOTHERING to "make the transition" at all. (The Australian government recently let a solar panel manufacturer die by denying promised funding, while coal & oil still get massive subsidies over alternative R&D.) Nuclear is not a "necessary evil" - it can be phased out in countries that have it, and places like Australia never developed it in the first place.

The lack of alternatives isn't a fact of nature - it's a political choice.

[buugiman78]

@dalellll Yes it's a travesty we don't spend more money on alternative energy! For many reasons! Still, I think nuclear fission is a necessary evil in the short term. It would be insane to close down all the nuclear reactors in the world over night. I just don't think we should light-heartedly build new ones without seriously considering the alternatives. Which unfortunately isn't always the case today. At least not in my native country Finland. A world free from nuclear fission in 2040?

[dalellll]

@buugiman78 Oh, I don't think anyone's suggesting to shut them down overnight - what can be done is the energy use of industry can be assessed, and unnecessary use cut down, & alternatives brought in to feed the grids (Japan has a special problem with their various regional grids being incompatible - some run on 60Hz, some on 50Hz) at the same rate that power from the reactors is reduced. The existence of the plants will still be a problem for a long time after they're decommissioned. :(

[chingychongo]

@man4Sam lol tuttt99 studies nuclear physics. good luck for him

[freedomfighterone]

Nuclear reactors are a problem waiting to happen. If a meterorite the size of Manhattan hits our planet, it would destroy all of these reactors releasing deadly radiation that would wipe all life on earth. And there is no place to store the radioactive waste. Nuclear energy is just not worth the rest to our world.

[attheveryend]

My eyes sense radiation all the time.

gamma rays and visible light are made of the same stuff.

[MrYendor1968]

none of you slow thinkers will ever turn us from science ever, go complain about your coffee being gone cold, if you think your smarter or better fix the problem, and stop berating a man that is trying to help, if you don't like what is said start your own site, and give up heaping shit on the ones that are willing too, you have no guts or heart, go hide under your rock. good on you and keep it up Dr. Michio Kaku and thank you

[tuttt99]

@MrYendor1968

He is NOT trying to help. He is grabbing the spotlight (again) for his own personal benefit.

He is openly anti nuclear. and using the crisis to further that agenda.

[WorthCart]

@tuttt99 Calm down

[vivattanaputi]

I agree with Dr. Michio Kaku.

[iheartsteezeskiing]

Michio Kaku 4 prez

[ciberwarrior]

"runaway car with no brakes" Did Toyota build this nuclear plant.

[dinoz82]

@ciberwarrior Japanese did....

[attheveryend]

@ciberwarrior Actually, Hitachi built #4; GE built 1,2,and 5; and I can't recall the name of the company that build 3 and six.

[MrYendor1968]

hi man just i thought is there any thing you could mix with the stuff the rods are made of something like diamond dust and put it in a mold and shock fused like the way they combine say steel and say brass by setting of a small explosive that forces the two too fuse as one i know you guys might of thought about that but i do know some times you need an uneducated look i don't know just felt like saying something

[Caprican28]

I thought this was actually NO WHERE NEAR being like Chernobyl...

Japan is no where as irresponsible enough to build anything like that. Not to mention this was caused by an EARTHQUAKE not a bunch of idiots. Even now despite battling mother nature the Japanese have managed to keep it under control. The reason radiation got out there, like he said, is because the roof blew open.. I fail to see other than this having to do with 'nuclear energy' how this remotely relates to Chernobyl Dr Kaku

[tuttt99]

@Caprican28

He should shut up and get back to his book tour...

[tuttt99]

This is the most irresponsible piece of journalism I have ever heard in my life.

[hollywoodt00]

It's either too soon to make clever comments about the situation or it's too late.

[tokeabow]

MICHAEL KAKU?!

[HelghastSoldier1]

this remains me of fallout the science of games

[brochan11]

WE'RE ALL DOOOOOOMED I TELL YA!!!!!!!

[MaBuSt]

kaku needs to real it back, hes scaring people for no reason other than views...

[spenore]

@MaBuSt hes telling the news not scaring people

[RhysMandala]

@MaBuSt man so stupid, look where its at now, he was write.

[MaBuSt]

@RhysMandala no, this is no where near what chernobyl was/is/continues to be.

Also, we were aware that there was going to be a hydrogen explosion.. this was not a surprise.

[Civsuccess2]

It's not going to be Chernobyl since there's nothing to burn.

There has to be fossil fuel which "aerosolize" the radioactive contamination. Frankly, hydrogen blast isn't enough.

[Civsuccess2]

Just pump the diesel from the unworking diesel generators to the coolant pipe.....

Than Kaboom....

Chernobyl will happen again.

[steam4o]

if you all press 2-8-9 you hear: uranium actualy race against time xD

[steam4o]

bone cancer? ROFL

[ratje67]

@steam4o uh...you're only making it sound worse!! ;-)

[SaiteK1911]

Can this have effect on the rest of the world?

[altrn8tiv]

bbc said the core was contained and fuel rods were intact, it was the cooling system that blew, still building up pressure and they were pumping sea water in to keep it cool,mild radioactivity where you say we don't know about core damage. But surely sea water could also absorb radioactivity the same as the cooling water/steam and would contaminate the sea?

But they did show a petrochemical complex on fire, a ship in the middle of a devastated town, and said a second reactor also had damage.

[gearlockT]

If you have no proper way to contain it the technology shouldn't be used. Same thing with the BP oil spill, destroying our life support systems because some chump thought the risks were worth it. Or didn't even think of the risks when they designed these "miracles of modern technology". When will people learn? Why can't we harness the energy from the sun, lightning or some other form that isn't unsafe. Mentality is we pop iodine pills when the fallout comes, always treatment and no cure.

[lashlashlashlashlash]

I think we can be safe that EVERYTHING WILL BE SHIT FOREVER.

[riakata]

Although serious the reactor containment building (The thing Chernobyl lacked) is still intact. The top half of the building is not a radiator. No nuclear reactor could be cooled with such a small condenser.

The upper structure is the containment buildings air condition and scrubbing equipment which is likely were they attempted to filter the pressure buildup before it blew up the filters. Although some radiation would be released it is still safe for now.

[Kevster1993]

American production values and journalism are just awful.

[chairde]

@Kevster1993 BBC based in the States.

[Kevster1993]

@chairde The BBC is based pretty much everywhere, Including the states.

[chairde]

@Kevster1993 It could be CBS but it looks like a BBC production to me.

[nstockert]

NOTE Dr. Michio Kaku is a scientist and not a nuclear expert. but he has very high understanding the process of nuclear fusion not fission

[nstockert]

Dr Michio Kaku is one of the greatest minds left on the earth in my opinion. People like him should be saved instead of the mindless rich elite. Note no1 deserves to die. If i had a "ticket" like the mindless rich elite to survive after what ever it is that will do us all in, i would gladly give mine to Dr Kaku, known that people like him are far more important to society or mankind than the "elite" with there money and bought power inside the governments all over the world. FUK NEW WORLD ORDER

[CallMeMrNameless]

Description says "Fukushima Daiichi I" is a tautology.

"Daiichi" means #1.

On the video:

I've always had mixed feelings on Nuclear plants.

But now I think the risks are probably not worth it.

[CallMeMrNameless]

@CallMeMrNameless

I think it's simply called a redundancy.

[TheShortStory]

This situation and Chernobyl cannot be compared in the way he's doing.. There's no graphite to burn for weeks and lift radioactive material high into the strongest winds and the level of heat produced from the reactor core was 6% of operational emission (as far as I've understood) and declining, unlike Chernobyl where the core itself was getting hotter; that is not happening here. The reactors are very differently constructed, and the Chernobyl explosion was due to a design error not found here.

[buugiman78]

I can imagine the producers line of thought! "Well, you know that japanese looking guy who talks about particles and stuff. Would it not be great to have him on the air talking about the current events in Japan". Nevermind the fact that he is NOT an expert on nuclear power plant safety nor japanese. It is so ridiculous. I have to confess I am quite fed up with Michio Kaku. He is a first class attention whore saying whatever any ignorant audience wants to hear! This interview is truelly absurd!

[hopprich]

While Mr. Kaku is a recognized expert in theoretical physics, I'd think more highly of an actual nuclear engineer's assessment. Kaku's assessment seems too full of conjecture and worst possible scenarios.

[DoubleWW]

@hopprich I wouldn't trust someone who's on the nuke business' payroll with their history of reporting in these kinds of situations. Not ONCE, in the history of nukes, has the whole truth been told.

[itsMinuteMaid]

@hopprich You're the type of person who will hang on every word when a celebrity talks about politiccs, but when a politician is actually speaking, you rather watch a lame Justin Bieber video. -Matthew Viramontes

[ggHaSu]

@hopprich kaku, is talking in the the itnrest of japan, more scary more money more donations

[wolfgang8u]

@hopprich He is a nuclear Physisist dude he has been around as an Expert, even on the still ongoing threat of Three mile Island to restart. He was also an expert during the initial accident of Three mile island. Sorry to Melt Down your bubble dude. But he is world renoun Nuclear Physicist. He covers the truth of nuclear accidents and has for over 20 years

[mrpablo82]

Dr. Michio Kacu is one of the smartest men on this planet because he can explain something extremely complicated and make it understandable to the masses.

[buugiman78]

@mrpablo82 Nevermind the irrelevant fact that what he is saying often is vastly misleading and that he is often not representing actual science. But, hey! Who cares as long as he is entertaining...

[mrpablo82]

@buugiman78 okay, so if you're smarter than do something about it.... and obviously you care enough to comment about miss "vastly misleading science." :)

Since you're smart enough not to mislead us in the scientific world, I will be looking out for your videos on youtube explaining the complicated world of science.

[buugiman78]

@mrpablo82 Did I say I was smarter than Michio Kaku? I said he's often stretching the truth in order to gain publicity. For example talking about time travelling as a theoretical possibility in the future although he knows perfectly well there's no evidence suggesting anything such. He can make any claims he want to. The problem is that he portrays himself as a serious scientist while not representing serious science. I am a bit amused that the only response you could think of was ad hominen ;-)

[mrpablo82]

@buugiman78 How can someone be "stretching the truth" when it's, as you said he is doing, explaining it as a theory .... which is an abstract thought. Theories are just theories.

I love ad hominen attacks. They make me happy ; ) hahahaha

[buugiman78]

@mrpablo82 No, scientific theories are not "just theories"! That is a grave misunderstanding. You are talking about theories in the everyday sense of the word. The scientific equivalence would be an unsubstantiated hypothesis. A scientific theory is always backed up with lots and lots of facts. A theory is as good as it gets. That's the gold standard. But perhaps you think the germ theory for example is "just a theory" as well ;-)

[GaiusIuliusTaberna]

@buugiman78 You never know... he might prefer the evil spirit or witch theory of disease.

[mrpablo82]

@buugiman78 This can go on for days... and I really don't care to do so. I like Dr. Michio Kaku, but not enough to defend him and his theories. This conversation got drab 6 comments ago.

[trtnec]

@buugiman78 uh, if you know anything about special and general relativity, time travel technically happens all the time... not in the time machine sense, but it's real. Look up how GPSes work. There's no reason to not think that the more and more our technology progresses, the closer we'll get to time travel in a practical sense. Then there's theoretical stuff that general relativity predicted, like black holes, that turned out to be true. It's right about a lot of things so it could very well..

[MultiHypocrisy]

@vivisect86 he look more like yoda.

[nazwa6]

they justinvited some weird hollywood asian-american actor

[AsbjoernBrain]

@nazwa6 Google is always a good friend. Don't you agree?

[Truthiness231]

China syndrome has never been seen, only theorized... this could be history in the making though I'm not very exited to see it. =/

[AtheistOnTheEdge]

China syndrome - where the reactor just keeps melting through the core of the earth and reaches the other side. I think in Japan's case, it should be "Brazil syndrome."

[Truthiness231]

@AtheistOnTheEdge LOL, so true ^.^

China syndrome is a misnomer for the US, even more so for Japan.

[Indy1489]

@plejarenway Well you say you're a prophet....make a prophecy beotch!

[xSkillzx]

>physician

>reporter confirmed for retarded

[TheBigKiller]

@xSkillzx Maybe you're the retarded one.

[brizihe]

I just realized that "china syndrome" only makes sense in north America.

[mil6es]

wow at the ultimate scaremongering Dr Kaku, Good Job

[aKILLAfromAPK]

kinda of a science celebrity now. if he was vain, he would wish for bad things like this to happen so he can get on tv

[Phranky]

"This could be a Chernobyl in the making" Thank God Michio Kaku remains level headed...

[tuttt99]

@Phranky

The man has ZERO qualifications to speak about Nuclear Power, Much less Safety.

This is NOTHING like Chernobyl

Fukushima: Shut down and removing decay heat

Chernobyl: Prompt Criticality and thermal excursion at power

Fukushima: Containment structure intact

Chernobyl: no containment structure

Fukushima: Small amount of radioactivity released in light water steam

Chernobyl: Massive amounts of radioactivity released via burning graphite

[dalellll]

@tuttt99 "This is nothing like Chernobyl"??

I appreciate that nit-picking nerds on the Internet are usually somewhere on the Autism Spectrum, and thus don't grasp more human, social concerns, but the comparison to Chernobyl is quite clearly relevant when talking about the long-term social and epidemiological effects of this on human beings.

[tuttt99]

@dalellll

I have PhD in Nuclear Engineering with a concentration in Health Physics. I currently work as a risk analysis for a nuclear power facility. I am hardly a nit picking nerd.

[dalellll]

@tuttt99 Dude, you're *obviously* a nitpicking nerd. You just responded to a comparison to Chernobyl by making a list of reasons that the sequence of events didn't match Chernobyl, while completely ignoring the possibility that there were other measures on which a comparison to Chernobyl would be useful. It's the very definition of nitpicking nerdery.

[tuttt99]

@dalellll

First of all I am not a dude (I'm a girl)

Second, even if I am a nit picking nerd, my point is that I am MUCH more qualified to speak on nuclear safety than this pop celebrity.

[thetruthis9]

@tuttt99

did you graduate 1st in your class from harvard like dr kaku...???

are getting millions of people to gain interest in science like dr kaku...???

are your books required reading in universities throughout the country like dr kaku...???

do your parents love you ...???

the answer to all of these questions is NO...so shut up bitch...!!!

[Missionary117]

@thetruthis9 lets not be mean!!!

[dalellll]

@tuttt99 Pardon my dude. You may have qualifications, but that doesn't give you a free pass saying stuff that's incorrect. (As a geologist, i know many "experts" on the issue whose opinion I'd trust far less than most, because I know how they get their funding.) I know quite a lot about the issue, and so do many others who would agree with Kaku's sentiments.

It's worrying that after i attacked your specific criticism of Kaku, you could only respond by citing credentials. That's not science.

[peapodsss]

@tuttt99

pipe down you nit picking nerd.

[attheveryend]

@tuttt99

I am a nit picking nerd.

You work as a risk analyst. Not a risk analysis.

;) Keep up the good work, physics makes the world not break.

[tuttt99]

@attheveryend

Thanks. (I was very tired when I posted, hence the typo)

[Lu5ck]

ermm....his just explaining common fact =,=

i wanna noe what can be done >.>

[strangeframe]

Plants need to be built near the water. Many plants are built on the ocean. In California, San Onofre is built right on the ocean and is only built to withstand a 7.0.

[crazyasianskills]

1:58 HE SAYS SHIT hahaha

[thrashaxe78]

@crazyasianskills he said shoot

[crazyasianskills]

@thrashaxe78 Yeah i know haha but that isnt what it sounded like.

[rdhaarpets]

Thank you for keeping it real Dr. Michio Kaku

[rdhaarpets]

good news footage. good job. thank you.....

[jacobpaprotskiy]

hey Im livin pretty close to chernobul! which sucks for me! but right it sucks for japanize people even more

[DvineGaming]

Well, to be honest, Japan was stupid to have built it so close to the ocean. They should have built it much farther inland and this could have been avoided. Guess we always have to learn the hard way...

[GreadyShady]

@DvineGaming well it was built in the 70s

[endauthority]

@DvineGaming hindsight is 2020

[addictedtopiano]

@DvineGaming get your facts right first: the wind is blowing west to east -> poisinous air blows on the ocean and not on cities and land farther east. Nuclear facilities need enormous amounts of cooling water (kaku mantoned that) -> easier to get that amounts on the shore. Exactly because of the ever existing threat of an earthquake, Japan's security standards for nuclear sites are obove international average.

[Crazyrudie]

@DvineGaming

You're a dumbass nuclear plants have to be built near water. Look at the ones in california

[DvineGaming]

@Crazyrudie Why do they have to be? Couldn't you just, gee IDK run water to it? You don't HAVE to. Chernobyl was no where near water and it was a working reactor. It went into meltdown for reasons other than it not being near water so why don't you explain why it has to be near water rather than being a keyboard warrior and acting like a total faggot?

[kestaa]

@DvineGaming Chernobyl was nowhere near water? Seriously?!? It was build on the shore of an artificial lake. It was nowhere near the *ocean*, true, but it was definitely near water.

(Also, the Chernobyl plant used graphite as a moderator whereas the Fukushima plant uses deuterium-depleted [light] water. Different properties; different designs; not the same animal. What works for one will not necessarily work for the other.)

[DvineGaming]

@kestaa OK, but I would still like to hear why they have to be built near water, you haven't answered that. And yes I know modern reactors use deuterium gas in the reaction chamber. No modern fusion reactor has ever had a meltdown but there is a first for everything.

[yurajaro]

@DvineGaming needs tons of water for everyday cooling

[DvineGaming]

@yurajaro I know that but you could use a pipeline. Obviously it would be more expensive but far safer.

[Crazyrudie]

@DvineGaming Eat a dick. If you're so interested due some fucking research dumbass.