Fusion?

It is a breakthrough by any means, but it is a game changer by no means.  Not for awhile, anyway.

The Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved nuclear fusion by creating a force of heat and light that generated more energy than it took to produce it - the same way the sun generates heat and light.  Nothing of this magnitude has ever been done before.  Trump supporters would certainly agree that this achievement, undertaken on American soil, has made American science great again . . . if in fact they believed in science. This energy source, clean and free of waste, could theoretically wean us off fossil fuels and traditional nuclear energy. 

While this achievement is new worthy, skeptics - there are always skeptics, and they always claim to know better - are quick to point out that this energy source won't become viable until long after we need to replace fossil fuels with renewables.  And maybe not in our lifetimes.  One need only be reminded of the infamous 1989 annoceunmet from Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons that they had achieved "cold fusion" fusion conceived at room temperature - only to be unable to replicate their "experiment."  

This fusion breakthrough from Livermore, however, is still a positive step toward a sustainable energy future that our children's children - or at least our children's grandchildren - will appreciate.

At any rate, we're likely to have viable, mass-produced fusion energy sooner than we're likely to get high-speed passenger rail in America. 😛