The Hindu Business Line : A nutty discussion on nuclear talks

TO MANY it is still not clear whether the new nuclear energy deal with the US is one-sided or not, though Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has begun defending it quite forcefully.

The word `nuclear' appears many times in the Indo-US Joint Statement of July 18 that speaks of "expanding bilateral activities and commerce in space, civil nuclear energy and dual-use technology." It recognises "the significance of civilian nuclear energy for meeting growing global energy demands in a cleaner and more efficient manner" and dubs India "a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology".

Experts point out that while the offer of "expeditious consideration of fuel supplies for safeguarded nuclear reactors at Tarapur" may be the apparent carrot, the irksome stick is the decision to place, voluntarily, civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, apart from making commitments on "adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) guidelines".

It may be debatable if "breaking out of isolation to meet energy needs" was necessary at the cost of the country's autonomy in the nuclear sphere. Also, the nation may find it tough to come to terms, as former Prime Minister Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee fears, with the task of separating civilian facilities from the strategic ones, and thus live with the reality of a reduced potency in the deterrent that helps in occasional sabre-rattling. Meanwhile, however, we may explore the word `nuclear' to gain some clarity.

The terms, as Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines it, relates to a nucleus; using energy released in nuclear fission or fusion; and "possessing or involving nuclear weapons". My search for `nucleus', leads me to a Web page devoted to `The Cell Nucleus' on www.contexo.info. It says that by the mid 1700s early microscope users had realised that living cells contained a light grey sap with a darker, denser globule floating about in the sap. "In 1831, Robert Brown used the word nucleus to describe the dark, central globule," it adds, and explains the origin of the word `nucleus' as being from the Latin word for `little nut'. And nuke, is modern-day slang for the nuclear weapon. Resuming your biology lesson, please note that the nucleus of most cells averages about 5 ìm (.005 mm) in diameter, and that it is surrounded by the nuclear envelope, a double membrane made of proteins and lipids that separates it from the cytoplasm, as Contexo.Info says. "Only when the nucleus prepares to divide do the chromosomes condense, becoming thick enough to be seen through a light microscope as separate structures." Contrarily, only when two big nations come together, the nuclear issue suddenly goes under the media's microscope.

"In cell biology, the nucleus (from Latin nucleus or nuculeus, kernel) is an organelle, found in all eukaryotic cells, which contains most of the cell's genetic material," states Wikipedia. Nuclear can be civil or military; so too, one may say, cell nuclei have two primary functions: "to control chemical reactions within the cytoplasm and to store information needed for cellular division".

You'd also learn from http://en.wikipedia.org that the nucleus has, within it, a network of fibres called the nuclear matrix, and also the genetic material DNA.

It was perhaps written in the DNA of the atom that its nucleus would one day be discovered by Ernest Rutherford. Acclaiming him the father of nuclear energy, www.britannica.com notes that Rutherford contributed substantially to the understanding of the disintegration and transmutation of the radioactive elements, discovered and named the particles expelled from radium, identified the alpha particle as a helium atom and with its aid evolved the nuclear theory of atomic structure, and used that particle to produce the first artificial disintegration of elements.

"In 1911 Rutherford made his greatest contribution to science with his nuclear theory of the atom. He had observed in Montreal that fast-moving alpha particles on passing through thin plates of mica produced diffuse images on photographic plates, whereas a sharp image was produced when there was no obstruction to the passage of the rays." Rutherford called the concentrated region of electric charge the nucleus of the atom, as `History of Atomic Theory' available on http://encarta.msn.com states.

Nucleus, as in physics, is the core of an atom that contains protons and neutrons and thus contains almost all of the atom's mass. "You imagine a nucleus which may be called a, and surround it by forces which may be called m," is how `Faraday as a Discoverer' by John Tyndall (www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in) would report on the scientist's 1844 work. "To my mind the a or nucleus vanishes, and the substance consists in the powers of m. And indeed what notion can we form of the nucleus independent of its powers? What thought remains on which to hang the imagination of an a independent of the acknowledged forces?" asks Michael Faraday, attempting to overthrow John Dalton's Theory of Atoms.

When the atom's nucleus contains as many neutrons as protons, the atom is stable, you can learn from www.aboutnuclear.org. "Most atoms are stable. However, when the atom's nucleus contains more neutrons than protons, the nucleus is unstable."

A game of numbers such as what makes governments too unstable, when shifts happen, giving rise to high-voltage activity. The nucleus of an unstable atom will try to become stable by giving off particles or packets of energy (quanta), and these emissions are called radioactivity. "The particles and quanta are emitted from the nucleus at high energy."

If you were to devote some energy to etymology, www.etymonline.com explains the root of nucleus thus: "1704, `kernel of a nut,' 1708, `head of a comet,' from L. nucleus `kernel,' from nucula `little nut'... General sense of `central part or thing, about which others cluster' is from 1762. Use in reference to cells first recorded 1831. Modern atomic meaning is 1912, first by Ernest Rutherford, though theoretical use for `central point of an atom' is from 1844, in Faraday."

The entry for nuclear is also interesting: "1846, `of or like the nucleus of a cell,' from nucleus (q.v.), probably by influence of Fr. nucléaire. Use in atomic physics is from 1914; of weapons, from 1945. Hence nuclear physics (1933), nuclear energy (1941), nuclear war (1954). Nuclear winter coined by Richard Turco, but first attested in article by Carl Sagan in `Parade' magazine, Oct 30, 1983. General sense of `central' is from 1912. Nuclear family, originally a sociologists' term, is first attested 1949 in `Social Structure,' by American anthropologist G.P. Murdock (1897 - 1985)."

Nucleus, as a term in neuroanatomy, describes a central nervous system structure composed mainly of grey matter that mediates electrical signalling within a particular subsystem, according to The Free Encyclopedia. Comet nucleus is the solid core of a comet; galaxy nucleus is the central region of a galaxy; ice nucleus, the centre of an ice crystal; sentence nucleus is the syllable which receives the greatest stress in a word; and Nucleus is also a British jazz-rock band led by Ian Carr.

"I can assure you we are a responsible nuclear power," is a quote of Dr Manmohan Singh, in www.brainyquote.com, that you may bank upon if politics can be seen as a game of assurances. Yet, Margaret Thatcher would feel insecure with such a promise, because a world without nuclear weapons is "less stable and more dangerous for all of us", she'd say. Frank Zappa may agree, saying that it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but "You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline". And, to wrap, if you're still seeking clarity on the current nuclear issue by watching the telly more, Dave Barry cautions that the nuclear generator of brain sludge is television.

But talking about nukes isn't as bad as throwing them around.

ComingToTerms@TheHindu.co.in

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