Chronicles the last half century's haphazard attempt to harness fusion energy, describing how governments and research teams throughout the world have employed measures ranging from the controversial to the humorous.

Nuclear fusion is the holy grail of energy. It's clean, abundant, and frustratingly out of reach. Obsession, fraud, and failure have destroyed many scientific careers in the world of fusion. But decades of setbacks have not stopped people from trying. The world's richest countries are pooling resources to build ITER, the most expensive scientific experiment ever. Meanwhile, entrepreneurs are also racing to create fusion, only they want to do it much...

Offers an account of child genius Taylor Wilson's successful quest to build his own nuclear reactor at the age of fourteen, and explores how gifted children can be nurtured to do extraordinary things.