When energy was plentiful and uranium ore was easy to mine, no one was willing to spend money to research nuclear fusion technology that would never be used.
When energy became scarce and the entire economic building was in danger, the Knicks civilization suddenly discovered that... "Controllable nuclear fusion" was still too far away from itself, and it had never even made progress!
This project requires so much energy and resources that it is unbearable for the entire civilization! Even if the entire world combined cannot complete this project, what should we do?
This in itself is a paradox!
An...impossible mission!
Even Nix Civilization does not know whether the "controllable nuclear fusion technology" project can be completed...
Does "controllable nuclear fusion technology" exist?
This is not only a question for the last generation of Knicks, but also a question in the hearts of every human being here.
Human beings have seen interstellar civilizations, and everyone subconsciously thinks that they have fusion reactors, but... no one has ever actually seen one. Who knows?
The venue was extremely silent, without even a trace of discussion...
Is this the truth about the Great Filter?
Everyone was silent, with livid faces, and humans themselves didn’t have any answers!
The standard temperature here is 24 degrees Celsius, but everyone feels the endless and unstoppable biting chill in their hearts...
Many people began to whisper to each other in low voices, especially some nuclear physicists, who all had gloomy faces when facing the crowd's inquiries.
"If there is no way to complete controllable nuclear fusion, it will undoubtedly be a huge disaster for future industry, and interstellar navigation will become a distant dream."
According to human history, the hydrogen bomb exploded in 1952, and the first magnetic confinement device was built in 1954. In other words, the idea of "magnetic confinement fusion" was born in the 1950s!
But so far, humans have been studying this project for almost a hundred years, and even the most basic balance of payments cannot be achieved, let alone stable combustion.
Fifty years ago, people said that fusion power generation would be possible in 50 years. However, 50 years later, the fusion community still says the same thing: we have to wait another 50 years.
This is the so-called "forever 50 years"...
How could a reliable project fall into such an embarrassing situation?
Is it inherently unreliable?
Throughout the entire history of mankind, the nuclear fusion project is also the most difficult project encountered by mankind. It is more difficult than the Apollo project and the moon base construction plan!
Many difficult projects in the past will be gradually overcome over time, such as launching satellites or landing on the moon. People will always slowly accumulate experience and technology, and then overcome the difficulties.
There has never been such a project, which took nearly a hundred years and didn't even let out a fart...
This is a hundred years!
In nearly a hundred years, has people's technological progress progressed by one percent?
Facing the doubtful looks of everyone, Professor Ding Yidong shook his head in despair.
As a nuclear physicist, he knows this problem best.
In essence, humans have not made much progress in controllable nuclear fusion.
In fact, Ding Yidong still can't believe that "controllable nuclear fusion technology" has become the great filter in the universe!
This is simply baffling!
Is it really not engineering feasible?
Ding Yidong subconsciously thought that it was just not enough money invested... Yes, it was just not enough money.
However, ask yourself, has mankind really made progress in its nuclear fusion project?
Not even a tiny bit!
In other words, there is a little bit of experimental data, a 0.1% process... Professor Ding Yidong shook his head in frustration.
The two main stars in the sky gradually disappeared, and it was destined to be a dark night...
It was also a dark night.
Baxter, the contemporary "Great Sage" of the Knicks, and his wife, mathematician Judith, are entertaining more than eighty guests at home.
Half of them are scientists, half are wealthy people with good personal connections, and there are a few high-level government officials.
They were eating, drinking, and eating. It was a high-end banquet.
The food was very exquisite, prepared by senior chefs, and even some guests with usually small appetites ate a lot.
Now...it has been more than seven hundred years since the death of the great sage Eutectonus, the proposer of the mass-energy equation.
It has been seven hundred years, and the descendants of Etaton have not yet invented the "controllable nuclear fusion" technology.
The consumption of resources is too fast, and the population of Nix has reached an unprecedented 5 billion! At this rate, all uranium resources will be consumed in 100 years, and they will face a huge energy crisis!
If nuclear energy is lost, most areas will lose power supply, except for some megacities built in volcanic craters.
Without nuclear energy, the Knicks will return to the era of only magma energy, and more than 90% of the population will starve to death! Because it is impossible to feed a huge population of 5 billion by relying on magma alone.
This is a naked life and death crisis!
However, such a crisis occurs in the form of a boiled frog.
Everyone knows it will happen, but... everything is still relatively far away. Until the entire society really reacts, the Knicks believe that this life will continue.
This is an era of capital, an era of entertainment, but not an era of science. The decline of the sage class has become a fact.
In the Eutectic period more than 700 years ago, more than 80% of primary school students, middle school students and even college students had the ambition to be a "sage". The people of Nix at that time had a crazy worship of science.
psychology.
However, the world has been peaceful for seven hundred years...
An idea called "laziness" or "enjoyment" has pervaded society for too long.
Scientist? Can you make money?
If you can’t make money, who will be responsible?
Being a scientist is difficult and requires a lot of energy. It is better to be a boss and become a star.
A star singing a song can be compared to a scientist working hard for a lifetime.
Such social changes are a torrent and a general trend.
In the face of this general trend, no one can stop it.
"I don't understand nuclear energy... I only understand biology."
Baxter, the "great sage" of Knicks civilization, said worriedly: "But I hope that everyone here can think of a way, and I also hope that the government can provide more financial support... Facing the coming energy crisis, we
It can’t be delayed any longer.”
"No new uranium deposits have been discovered for a long time, which shows that... there is not much available for mining on the surface."
As the smartest group of Knicks, they are keenly aware of the energy crisis that is coming a century later.
Baxter believes that it is necessary to respond in advance to avoid being boiled to death by boiling frogs in warm water.