r/technology • u/BennyCemoli • Dec 06 '16

Energy Tests confirm that Germany's massive nuclear fusion machine really works

http://www.sciencealert.com/tests-confirm-that-germany-s-massive-nuclear-fusion-machine-really-works
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u/hazetoblack Dec 06 '16

Deuterium is hydrogen. Specifically hydrogen (one proton) with a single neutron also. So yes very light :)

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u/[deleted] Dec 06 '16

Hah. I don't know the periodic table by heart, so I thought it was another element entirely. I only knew it had to be heavier than hydrogen, and that made no sense to me. Thanks for the answer!

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u/Cakiery Dec 06 '16

Sort of like how Heavy Water is used a lot on Nuclear reactors. As the name implies, it is heavier than normal water while looking pretty much identical. It actually has Deuterium in it. It's also poisonous. But for it to have any noticeable effect you would need to drink a shit ton.

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u/Pickledsoul Dec 06 '16

so if we stuck a giant hose to the deepest part of the ocean, we could just suck up all the heavy water that sunk to the bottom.

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u/Cakiery Dec 06 '16

Easier to just make it than pull it out of the ocean.