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'Oppenheimer' is everywhere. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

On July 16, 1945, scientists detonated "Gadget," the world's first atomic bomb. White Sands Missile Range Photo hide caption

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White Sands Missile Range Photo

Short Wave

'Oppenheimer' is everywhere. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

Christopher Nolan's new film 'Oppenheimer' chronicles the life and legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the first director of Los Alamos National Laboratory and so-called "Father of the Atomic Bomb." The movie does not shy away from science — and neither do we. We talked to current scientists at Los Alamos about the past and present science of nuclear weapons like the atomic bomb.

'Oppenheimer' is everywhere. Here's the science behind the atomic bomb

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Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Raising New Questions 75 Years Later

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows Thursday in front of a memorial to people who were killed in the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Philip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Law

Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Raising New Questions 75 Years Later

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were said at the time to be justified as the only way to end World War II. Seventy-five years later, legal experts say they would now be war crimes.

Hiroshima Atomic Bombing Raising New Questions 75 Years Later

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Opinion: 75 Years On, Remember Hiroshima And Nagasaki. But Remember Toyama Too

A photograph shows Toyama, Japan, aflame after the U.S. attack on Aug. 1, 1945. Most of the city's population was left homeless. U.S. Army Air Forces hide caption

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U.S. Army Air Forces

Opinion

Opinion: 75 Years On, Remember Hiroshima And Nagasaki. But Remember Toyama Too

A U.S. firebombing campaign targeted Toyama and other Japanese cities, killing 180,000 before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, write geographer Cary Karacas and historian David Fedman.

Pope Francis, In Visit To Hiroshima, Says Possession Of Nuclear Weapons Is 'Immoral'

Pope Francis observes a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during his visit to the city's Peace Memorial Park on Sunday. Carl Court/Getty Images hide caption

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Carl Court/Getty Images

World

Pope Francis, In Visit To Hiroshima, Says Possession Of Nuclear Weapons Is 'Immoral'

The nuclear arms race wastes resources that could instead improve people's lives and protect the environment, the pontiff said. His tour marks the first papal visit to Japan in nearly 40 years.

Secretary Of State John Kerry Visits Hiroshima Memorial

Secretary of State John Kerry pauses during his remarks about seeing the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum, the site of the 1945 atomic bombing, during a news conference at the conclusion of the G-7 Foreign Ministers' Meetings in Hiroshima on Monday. Jonathan Ernst/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Jonathan Ernst/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Secretary Of State John Kerry Visits Hiroshima Memorial

Kerry is the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to visit the site. He honored the 140,000 Japanese who died in the U.S. attack on the city, but did not apologize for the bombing there and in Nagasaki.

Japan Marks 70 Years Since U.S. Atomic Bombing Of Nagasaki

Sumiteru Taniguchi, 86, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki, walks up to deliver his speech at the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki, southern Japan, on Sunday. Eugene Hoshiko/AP hide caption

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Eugene Hoshiko/AP

The Two-Way

Japan Marks 70 Years Since U.S. Atomic Bombing Of Nagasaki

The southern city was devastated three days after Hiroshima, in the closing act of World War II. At the ceremony, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe renewed his country's pledge to shun nuclear weapons.

Remembering The Horror Of Nagasaki 70 Years Later

A man pushes a loaded bicycle down a cleared path in a flattened area of Nagasaki more than a month after the nuclear attack in 1945. Stanley Troutman/AP hide caption

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Stanley Troutman/AP

History

Remembering The Horror Of Nagasaki 70 Years Later

Today, exactly 70 years after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, the people of that Japanese city remember the tens of thousands killed and the legacy of their trauma.

Remembering The Horror Of Nagasaki 70 Years Later

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U.S. Official Is First To Attend Nagasaki Ceremony

James Zumwalt, deputy chief of the U.S. embassy in Tokyo, offers a wreath of flowers at a ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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The Two-Way

U.S. Official Is First To Attend Nagasaki Ceremony

A ceremonial bell tolled in Nagasaki, Japan, Tuesday morning, marking the beginning of a moment of silence to remember tens of thousands of people killed by an atomic bomb that fell from a U.S. plane 66 years ago. And for the first time, the ceremony was attended by a U.S. government official.

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