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science, nuclear energy, radioactive waste, first disposal facility, Finland, Onkalo
Photo credit: TVO / Tapani Karjanlahti / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

1.9 Billion-Year-Old Bedrock To House World’s First Permanent Nuclear Waste Site

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1.9 Billion-Year-Old Bedrock Will Soon House World’s First Permanent Nuclear Waste Site (Maria)

The author writes, “With the push of a button, the elevator descends hundreds of meters in seconds into the dark depths of Onkalo. … ‘We are now at about minus [1,411 feet],’ geologist Tuomas Pere noted as he steered a car through manmade tunnels. ‘We are driving through 1.9-billion-year-old bedrock.’ After decades of construction, Onkalo, the world’s first facility for permanently disposing of radioactive waste, is set to begin operations in Finland.”

The Team Behind a Pro-Iran, Lego-Themed Viral-Video Campaign (Dana)

From The New Yorker: “Explosive News’s AI-generated videos have been shared by Iranian-government accounts and co-opted by No Kings protesters. A spokesperson for the group says, ‘Let’s face it — if truth isn’t flashy, it’s kinda lonely.’”

Missing Nuclear Official Becomes Tenth Person Tied To Dark Pattern Surrounding US Secrets (Reader Jim)

From The Daily Mail: “Another person with links to America’s nuclear secrets has gone missing as the disturbing list of deaths and disappearances in recent years continues to grow. Steven Garcia, 48, vanished without a trace on August 28, 2025. He was last seen leaving his Albuquerque, New Mexico home on foot, carrying only a handgun. An anonymous source told the Daily Mail that Garcia was a government contractor working for the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC), a major facility in Albuquerque that plays a key behind-the-scenes role in America’s national defense.”

1.4 Million Filers Face Tax Refund Delays Amid IRS Paper Check Phaseout (Sean)

The author writes, “A growing number of filers are facing tax refund delays amid a government-wide phaseout of paper checks. House Ways and Means Committee Democrats …  sent another letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with ‘additional concerns’ about roughly 1.4 million IRS notices sent to filers about refund delays related to paper payment requests. At the time of the lawmakers’ initial letter, dated March 9, they said more than 830,000 taxpayers had received such notices.”

US Has Caused $10T Worth of Climate Damage Since 1990, Research Finds (Laura)

The author writes, “The US has caused an eye-watering $10tn in global damages to the world over the past three decades through its vast planet-heating emissions, with a quarter of this economic pain inflicted upon itself, new research has found. By being the largest carbon emitter in history, the US has caused greater harm to worldwide economic growth than any other country, ahead of China, now the world’s largest emitter that is responsible for $9tn in GDP damage since 1990, according to the findings of the paper.”

A Sacramento Pig Got His Parents Together and Won a World Record, All in 4 Years (Reader Steve)

From The Sacramento Bee: “‘You don’t see a pig on a leash every day with a hat on,’ Mina Alali said as her potbelly pig wearing a colorful propeller hat tugged at her skirt, hoping to receive a handful of oats. The propeller hat has become a signature look for the pig — a 4-year-old Vietnamese potbelly named Merlin — who has more than 1 million followers on Instagram, a surprisingly hefty vocabulary and a Guinness World Record.”