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Alex Zylstra Photo: supplied
Recreating nuclear fusion - the reaction that powers stars including our sun - is seen as the holy grail of energy technology, holding potential to create a near-unlimited source of safe clean energy.
This week, scientists at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made a huge breakthrough.
Their experiment, which involved smashed hydrogen atoms with a laser, produced more energy than they put in.
Alex Zylstra is the principal experimentalist on the project.