When considering the current troubles at three nuclear reactors of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant, two words must be promptly defined: radiation and meltdown. The former carries fears of spreading, invisible poison; the latter seems one step away from an atomic blast. Neither is quite what it seems. Go to story #1

Televised explosions at nuclear plants in Japan are quickly deflating the concept of a "nuclear renaissance" in the United States. But some close observers say the earthquake points to the durability, rather than the fragility, of nuclear power plants. After all, the reactor that experienced a blast over the weekend is a 40-year-old nuclear plant that was hit with a quake much bigger than anything recorded in California. And what actually failed were the batteries and diesel generators. Go to story #2