NGM NOVEMBER 2025
HARNESS THE STARS

On a sprawling job site in the south of France, some 5,000 workers, physicists to welders, representing dozens of nationalities, are currently constructing one of the most expensive, complex, and ambitious science experiments of all time. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor has the potential to transform the future. The idea is to create a small star here on Earth, using the same physics that powers our sun (and every other star in the universe), and then tap into this massive energy source. The mission is to prove that it’s possible to safely generate virtually unlimited, carbon-free energy without producing any pollution or greenhouse gasses. The project has been in the works for some 40 years.

Other features in this issue include:
• Teen mountaineering phenom Nima Rinji Sherpa is shattering outdated notions about who gets to be a star alpinist.
• New research into attention deficit disorder is upending old notions about who the condition affects—and how those diagnosed with it can thrive.
• Human hibernation could revolutionize medicine and make distant space travel possible. And the sci-fi concept is closer to reality than you think.