While we were all doing our Christmas shopping, there was a group of scientists in Germany playing with a doughnut-shaped reactor and heating hydrogen to the point of becoming plasma. The result lasted for just a split second, but it means a major step forward for clean and alternative energy in the world.
Essentially, the donut, better known as the “Wendelstein 7-X” stellarator has taken us one step closer to harnessing the same energy that powers our sun.
They actually recorded the event for posterity. It seems pretty boring, but you will eventually get to see the actual plasma that they create… That, is not so boring.
We are still a long way from having fusion as a viable energy source, but we just took a major step forward in the process.