Ask anybody about nuclear power and, before too long, you’re bound to hear the word “disaster.” As in Fukushima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island. Nuclear power has a reputation that’s hard to overlook, and there are real dangers tied to it.
But there are dangers, too, in continuing to burn the fossil fuels that drive the modern world — from illnesses and deaths caused by pollution to greenhouse gases that contribute to a mounting climate catastrophe. Green energy sources like solar and wind are positive forces, but insufficient. That’s where nuclear power has an opening, and it’s the subject of an in-depth look by CNET’s Daniel Van Boom.
His story is among the in-depth features and commentaries that appeared on CNET this week. So here you go. These are the stories you don’t want to miss:
Many have committed to carbon neutrality, but few have a plan of how to get there. Nuclear power can help.

Collin Buenerkemper/CNET
Communities that couldn’t get mortgage loans in the 1940s are the same areas without fast home internet service today. There’s no easy fix.
Robert Rodriguez/CNET
We’ve drifted apart.
César Salza / CNET
The industry can’t stop cheerleading the rise of 5G despite an experience that isn’t materially better than 4G.
Graphic by Pixabay/Illustration by CNET
They’re slow, monochromatic and kind of expensive. I still love any gadget with a big E Ink screen.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
It’s too dry and too acidic for microbial life to exist above the surface of the hellacious planet, according to a new study.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
How I learned to stop worrying and love America’s greatest modern action-movie series in time for Fast and Furious 9.
Universal Pictures
Building a better encyclopedia requires consensus and neutrality, but behind the scenes, editors wrangle with the pandemic’s most contentious question.
Robert Rodriguez
Commentary: Are iMessage and FaceTime really that important to have?
Sarah Tew/CNET