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Thom Mason
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Feb 12, 2026
A Conversation with Dr. Thom Mason: What Does The “Fourth Age” Of The Nuclear Landscape Have In Store?
8:00
8:09
8:19
8:31
8:37
23:29

Dan PonemanHOST
Can you tell us about Los Alamos and its history and the role that it has played and continues to play in our nuclear enterprise?

Thom MasonGUEST
Well, the way I like to talk about this is we have entered what I call the fourth age for Los Alamos.

Thom MasonGUEST
You know, the Lord of the Rings, the end of the Lord of the Rings, when the ring gets thrown into Mount Doom, represents the end of the third age of Middle Earth.

Thom MasonGUEST
And we don't quite find out what the fourth age is because Tolkien never wrote that book.

Thom MasonGUEST
And I think in a similar way, we've made a transition in the sort of geopolitical environment to a new age.
15 MINS LATER

Dan PonemanHOST
But talk to us then about the nuclear enterprise more broadly, and how is it that civilian nuclear energy and our infrastructure to support that support the national security mission and vice versa?