Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Emerging Tech
  4. Web
  5. Legacy Archives

Video shows the panic Fukushima’s radiation cloud caused as it spread across the globe

Add as a preferred source on Google
japan-fukushima-tweets-worldwide-radiation
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The situation in Japan seems to be getting a lot worse before it gets better. Though the earthquake and tsunami are long over, radiation leaks and problems continue at the Fukushima Nuclear plant. According to SocialIntensity.org, there have been more than 500 million tweets about the incident in the last month. The moving graphic below shows the intensity of tweets in each country around the world in the days since March 11, 2011, when the nuclear reactor first blew its lid. It’s interesting to note how much tweets pick up as the cloud approaches them, and how much they decline after it passes.

To get this data, the site used Google’s Realtime system to search for tweets containing information on radioactivity, pollution cloud, Fukushima, and similar topics.

Recommended Videos

Fukushima is now the most expensive natural disaster in history, costing more than $309 billion dollars. The disaster is getting so bad that Sony may shut down its offices for two weeks to save power.

Jeffrey Van Camp
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
Microsoft revamps Windows Insider Program with simpler structure and more user control
I’m glad Microsoft simplified the Insider program - it was overdue
A man sits, using a laptop running the Windows 11 operating system.

Microsoft is rolling out a major overhaul of its Windows Insider Program, aiming to simplify how early Windows features are tested while addressing long-standing user complaints around complexity and control. The update marks one of the biggest structural changes to the program in years, signaling a shift in how Microsoft wants to collaborate with its testing community.

A Simpler Insider Program Built Around Feedback And Control

Read more
Discord users breach access controls to reach Anthropic’s Mythos model
This AI security breach shows why your data still needs protection
Representative Image

A recent security incident involving Anthropic has highlighted just how fragile the safeguards around advanced AI systems can be. A Wired report suggests that a small group of users, operating through private Discord channels, managed to gain unauthorized access to the company’s highly restricted Mythos AI model - an experimental system designed for cybersecurity applications.

A Breach That Exposes Bigger Risks Around AI Control

Read more
I never thought AI would add typos – but it kind of makes sense
“Anti-Grammarly” tool uses AI to make writing imperfect on purpose
AI tool

A new AI tool is flipping one of the oldest rules of digital communication on its head: perfect grammar is no longer the goal. Instead, the latest trend is to make emails look deliberately human - even if that means adding typos.

When AI Starts Making You Sound Less Perfect

Read more