 Fusion Energy may very well be a possibility sooner than later, according to a recent announcement made by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I'm Jade and this is your CYPOD. A partnership between MIT and newly formed partner spin-off company, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, researchers are hoping to make fusion an accessible and viable source of energy by as early as 2033 through an ambitious experiment called SPARC. Now you may have heard the term nuclear fusion thrown around in an astronomy class or a Rick and Morty episode, but what it is is the process of two atoms smashing together to form a heavier element, releasing energy in the process. It's what powers our very own sun and it's what we hope to power our planet in the coming years. Fusion, with its clean output and near limitless potential, has been looked at as an energy source since the early 20th century. By harnessing the energy released by fusing atomic nuclei, vast amounts of carbon free electricity can be produced. So wait, virtually unlimited amounts of clean energy produced by a mini-star that won't muck up Earth's atmosphere, where can I get some? Why is it not powering my Xbox as we speak? Well, the answer is it's simply not realistic yet. Fusion Energy has been somewhat of a pipe dream when it comes to its scalable application. The amount of energy required to heat the fuel hot enough to achieve fusion surpasses the amount of energy it would end up producing, thus resulting in an energy deficit. This is where Spark comes in. Thanks to a new generation of high temperature superconductors that have only recently become commercially available, researchers are now able to strengthen the magnetic fields in atomicoc needed to contain the plasma making them smaller, more cost-effective and easier to produce. Spark, of course, is a type of reactor that uses magnetic fields to suspend plasma into a donut shape so that it doesn't obliterate any material that has the misfortune of coming into contact with it. If all goes according to plan, the experiment will produce 100 megawatts of energy. $50 million has already been secured from an Italian energy company, 60% of which is going directly into research and development for this project. This ambitious partnership between industry and academia could expedite the process of making fusion-based energy a reality. If successful, Spark could spark government interest and eventually replace fossil fuels, helping alleviate the mounting effects of climate change. Thanks for watching and don't forget to like and subscribe to tomorrow, and you can catch us every first Saturday of the month at 2100 UTC. That's all for now, folks. Until next time, stay curious. Bye. Bye.