Power Plants

• The most visible source of nuclear energy are the more than 400 worldwide power plants that function on nuclear reactors. These reactors contain the reaction of nuclear fission, which produces heat that is then used to create electricity. More than 20 percent of power in the United States is produced by these power plants.
  
  

Submarines

• Though in use since the Cold War, nuclear submarines are a valued part of several world navies. These submarines function off a small nuclear reactor, which provides a much larger amount of power for a much longer period of time than fossil fuels could match. Additionally, these nuclear submarines can run silently, as nuclear fission creates no noise.
  
  

Weapons

• Not all nuclear energy is benign. Nuclear warheads are still a worldwide threat. These weapons, hundreds of times more devastating than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have the ability to destroy cities and to end hundreds of thousands of lives.
  
  

Radiation Therapy

• A common treatment for cancer, radiation therapy is one common and modern use of nuclear energy. Carefully applied, the radiation is used to destroy cancer cells in the patient.
  
  

Food Processing

• It has become a common part of food processing to expose food to nuclear radiation. In small amounts, this energy kills bacteria, micro-organisms and other harmful things that may be present in food before it is packaged.