A fusion reaction conducted at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California was declared to have achieved net energy, the Department of Energy secretary and other top federal scientists announced Tuesday.
This means that more energy was produced during the reaction than was used to start it. It is the first time that humanity has reached this milestone.
The sun generates energy through fusion, but scientists have struggled for years to replicate this process on earth. It is now possible for fusion to progress from a laboratory experiment to a practical energy source by achieving net positive energy.
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