Transmutation, that noble quest of ancient dabblers in Alchemy, seems to be making a serious comeback. Armed with a modern knowledge of particle physics and atomic theory, modern dabblers in the ancient art of Alchemy have changed their tools from chemical potions to subatomic accelerators in bringing this once discredited field into the realm of modern science. In transmutation, the goal of these modern alchemists is not finding a way to turn base metals into gold but something that may eventually prove many times more valuable to society. Spent fuel from nuclear power plants currently contains significant amounts of radioactive elements (such as plutonium-239) which have half-lives of hundreds of thousands of years, meaning that they will remain hazardous to human and other life for twice that period. Therefore, such long-lived radioactive wastes must be contained or placed in safe isolation. Research is now underway to discover processes that will convert certain elements in nuclear waste into other elements with a much shorter radioactive lifespan. While this may not be the ultimate solution, the door has been opened to consider other methods and processes for dealing with nuclear wastes than simply burying them ad infinitum.

ScienceDaily; September 23, 2008

Submitted by R. Campbell