Franco Escobar
@fcastroescobar.bsky.social
PhD Researcher @ Keele University's David Bruce Centre | Research Fellow @ Hiroshima Peace Institute | Fulbright Scholar @ Kroc School of Peace Studies, U. of San Diego | Swing & salsa dancer. Loves coffee and books.
My 10-min talk at the #HiroshimaPeacePlatform's Symposium is now live: youtu.be/epqkW7N_6Ic?...
The full video features fascinating remarks from the in-person panel: Izumi Nakamitsu, Dr Elizabeth Chappell, Vasileva Vladisaya Bilyanova, and Shiro Sato. (My participation was remote only)
The full video features fascinating remarks from the in-person panel: Izumi Nakamitsu, Dr Elizabeth Chappell, Vasileva Vladisaya Bilyanova, and Shiro Sato. (My participation was remote only)
ヒロシマ平和研究教育機構 国際シンポジウム「被爆８０年を超えて」【パネルディスカッション】
YouTube video by 広島市公式YouTubeチャンネル【The city of Hiroshima】
youtu.be
February 5, 2026 at 11:17 AM
My 10-min talk at the #HiroshimaPeacePlatform's Symposium is now live: youtu.be/epqkW7N_6Ic?...
The full video features fascinating remarks from the in-person panel: Izumi Nakamitsu, Dr Elizabeth Chappell, Vasileva Vladisaya Bilyanova, and Shiro Sato. (My participation was remote only)
The full video features fascinating remarks from the in-person panel: Izumi Nakamitsu, Dr Elizabeth Chappell, Vasileva Vladisaya Bilyanova, and Shiro Sato. (My participation was remote only)
Reposted by Franco Escobar
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" is now at 85 seconds to midnight -- closer than ever. In recent years, includes not only risk of nuclear war, but other existential risks -- climate, AI apocalypse, etc. www.reuters.com/world/china/...
Atomic scientists set 'Doomsday Clock' closer to midnight than ever
Atomic scientists set their "Doomsday Clock" on Tuesday closer than ever to midnight, citing aggressive behavior by nuclear powers Russia, China and the United States, fraying nuclear arms control, co...
www.reuters.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" is now at 85 seconds to midnight -- closer than ever. In recent years, includes not only risk of nuclear war, but other existential risks -- climate, AI apocalypse, etc. www.reuters.com/world/china/...
✍️ I've been writing! Click here to read my blog on 'Atomic Anxiety': atomicanxiety.com/2026/01/08/t...
The Fearful, Fearless, & Those Incapable of Feeling Fear
In our first Fellows blog post of 2026, Atomic Anxiety Fellow Franco Castro Escobar reflects on how fear plays an integral, multiple role in nuclear policy… People are not born anxious about …
atomicanxiety.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:07 PM
✍️ I've been writing! Click here to read my blog on 'Atomic Anxiety': atomicanxiety.com/2026/01/08/t...
January 7, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Reposted by Franco Escobar
VIDEO: @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social explains why it is so incredibly difficult to convey the size and destructive force of nuclear weapons—and always has been.
Video by @erik-english.bsky.social for @thebulletin.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czyk...
#nuclearweapons #AHouseOfDynamite #Trump #nukesky
Video by @erik-english.bsky.social for @thebulletin.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czyk...
#nuclearweapons #AHouseOfDynamite #Trump #nukesky
What you should know about nuclear weapons
YouTube video by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:50 AM
VIDEO: @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social explains why it is so incredibly difficult to convey the size and destructive force of nuclear weapons—and always has been.
Video by @erik-english.bsky.social for @thebulletin.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czyk...
#nuclearweapons #AHouseOfDynamite #Trump #nukesky
Video by @erik-english.bsky.social for @thebulletin.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=czyk...
#nuclearweapons #AHouseOfDynamite #Trump #nukesky
Reposted by Franco Escobar
1/n - Trump says something about nuclear weapons tests...It’s hard to know what he means. As usual, he’s unclear, all over the map, and wrong.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
October 30, 2025 at 6:22 AM
1/n - Trump says something about nuclear weapons tests...It’s hard to know what he means. As usual, he’s unclear, all over the map, and wrong.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
1. The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country.
Wrong. Russia has more nuclear weapons than the United States.
Reposted by Franco Escobar
Three years ago today, @neildegrassetyson.com asserted on “Real Time with Bill Maher” that unlike atomic bombs, “… modern nukes [thermonuclear bombs] don’t have the radiation problem … not in the way we used to have to worry about with fallout and all the rest of that.”
This is completely wrong.
This is completely wrong.
Neil deGrasse Tyson: modern hydrogen nuclear weapons don’t have the radiation fallout problem of WW2
YouTube video by Interstellar1977
www.youtube.com
October 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Three years ago today, @neildegrassetyson.com asserted on “Real Time with Bill Maher” that unlike atomic bombs, “… modern nukes [thermonuclear bombs] don’t have the radiation problem … not in the way we used to have to worry about with fallout and all the rest of that.”
This is completely wrong.
This is completely wrong.
Reposted by Franco Escobar
Recycling nuclear fuel is also expensive. Very, very expensive.
"The cost to build the reprocessing plant, including new safety measures, has ballooned to ¥3.1T ($20.57B). The initial estimate was ¥760B. 💸
"The total budget has reached ¥14.7T." 💸💸
"The cost to build the reprocessing plant, including new safety measures, has ballooned to ¥3.1T ($20.57B). The initial estimate was ¥760B. 💸
"The total budget has reached ¥14.7T." 💸💸
October 13, 2025 at 11:03 PM
Recycling nuclear fuel is also expensive. Very, very expensive.
"The cost to build the reprocessing plant, including new safety measures, has ballooned to ¥3.1T ($20.57B). The initial estimate was ¥760B. 💸
"The total budget has reached ¥14.7T." 💸💸
"The cost to build the reprocessing plant, including new safety measures, has ballooned to ¥3.1T ($20.57B). The initial estimate was ¥760B. 💸
"The total budget has reached ¥14.7T." 💸💸
What role have young people played in the nuclear age? I wrote this article for #TheLoop Series on #NuclearPolitics at the ECPR: theloop.ecpr.eu/young-people...
The study of young people in the nuclear ages is ‘unfolding, uncharted, and increasingly consequential’. Thanks for reading! 📚
The study of young people in the nuclear ages is ‘unfolding, uncharted, and increasingly consequential’. Thanks for reading! 📚
October 2, 2025 at 8:47 AM
What role have young people played in the nuclear age? I wrote this article for #TheLoop Series on #NuclearPolitics at the ECPR: theloop.ecpr.eu/young-people...
The study of young people in the nuclear ages is ‘unfolding, uncharted, and increasingly consequential’. Thanks for reading! 📚
The study of young people in the nuclear ages is ‘unfolding, uncharted, and increasingly consequential’. Thanks for reading! 📚
Soon there will be no one left that witnessed World War II, and we will be "stuck like me trying to make sense of a photo album," as my colleague Sarah Taylor put it in her latest blog on A-bomb survivor trees: medium.com/@s.l.taylor_...
#KeeleUniversity #GreenLegacyHiroshima #Hibakujumoku
#KeeleUniversity #GreenLegacyHiroshima #Hibakujumoku
Green Legacy Hiroshima: reflecting on my grandfather’s time in WW2
This is the fourth blog post about Keele’s involvement with the Green Legacy Hiroshima initiative. The post is released today, on 15 August…
medium.com
August 15, 2025 at 9:09 AM
Soon there will be no one left that witnessed World War II, and we will be "stuck like me trying to make sense of a photo album," as my colleague Sarah Taylor put it in her latest blog on A-bomb survivor trees: medium.com/@s.l.taylor_...
#KeeleUniversity #GreenLegacyHiroshima #Hibakujumoku
#KeeleUniversity #GreenLegacyHiroshima #Hibakujumoku
New project with BASIC and RECNA coming up. Me and my colleagues offer some reflections marking the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
As part of a series of media initiatives to mark the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, BASIC's Emerging Voices Network (EVN) of young people around the world and its Nuclear...
As part of a series of media initiatives to mark the 80th anniversary of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, BASIC's Emerging Voices Network (EVN) of young people around the world and its Nuclear Res...
www.linkedin.com
August 12, 2025 at 8:56 AM
New project with BASIC and RECNA coming up. Me and my colleagues offer some reflections marking the 80th anniversary of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...
Reposted by Franco Escobar
80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, a single shutter clicked in Hiroshima and recorded what no camera had captured before, and none has again: the immediate aftermath of a city annihilated by nuclear weapons.
"Atomic testament: Yoshito Matsushige and the first photos of Hiroshima's nuclear toll."
"Atomic testament: Yoshito Matsushige and the first photos of Hiroshima's nuclear toll."
Atomic testament: Yoshito Matsushige and the first photos of Hiroshima’s nuclear toll
Yoshito Matsushige’s photographs Hiroshima’s destruction are among the most harrowing visual records of the nuclear age.
thebulletin.org
August 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, a single shutter clicked in Hiroshima and recorded what no camera had captured before, and none has again: the immediate aftermath of a city annihilated by nuclear weapons.
"Atomic testament: Yoshito Matsushige and the first photos of Hiroshima's nuclear toll."
"Atomic testament: Yoshito Matsushige and the first photos of Hiroshima's nuclear toll."
Reposted by Franco Escobar
I’ve been collaborating on a project for a #documentary film about #nuclear testing & global hibakusha. The full film will be out in fall, but there is a shorter, German version screened this week on @ZDF. You can watch it here w/subtitles
#Hiroshima #ColdWar #NukeSky
vimeo.com/1101618091/9...
#Hiroshima #ColdWar #NukeSky
vimeo.com/1101618091/9...
Im Schatten der Bombe - Silent War (click CC for subtitles)
please click on CC for subtitles (these are automatic subtitles, usually they're not very good) IN THE SHADOW OF THE BOMB - 80 YEARS OF HIROSHIMA A film by…
vimeo.com
August 5, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I’ve been collaborating on a project for a #documentary film about #nuclear testing & global hibakusha. The full film will be out in fall, but there is a shorter, German version screened this week on @ZDF. You can watch it here w/subtitles
#Hiroshima #ColdWar #NukeSky
vimeo.com/1101618091/9...
#Hiroshima #ColdWar #NukeSky
vimeo.com/1101618091/9...
Reposted by Franco Escobar
Was interviewed on Al Jazeera earlier today on the 80th commemoration of #Hiroshima and #nuclear weapons.
vimeo.com/1107535248?s...
vimeo.com/1107535248?s...
Bo Jacobs on Hiroshima 80th commemoration on Al Jazeera (Aug 5, 2025)
This is "Bo Jacobs on Hiroshima 80th commemoration on Al Jazeera (Aug 5, 2025)" by Bo Jacobs on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people…
vimeo.com
August 5, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Was interviewed on Al Jazeera earlier today on the 80th commemoration of #Hiroshima and #nuclear weapons.
vimeo.com/1107535248?s...
vimeo.com/1107535248?s...
Reposted by Franco Escobar
“Reconstructing the Perpetrator's Soul
by Reconstructing the Victim's Body:
The Portrayal of the 'Hiroshima Maidens'
by the Mainstream Media in the United States”
#Hiroshima #Nagasaki #NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist
intersections.anu.edu.au/issue24/jaco...
by Reconstructing the Victim's Body:
The Portrayal of the 'Hiroshima Maidens'
by the Mainstream Media in the United States”
#Hiroshima #Nagasaki #NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist
intersections.anu.edu.au/issue24/jaco...
August 2, 2025 at 5:59 PM
“Reconstructing the Perpetrator's Soul
by Reconstructing the Victim's Body:
The Portrayal of the 'Hiroshima Maidens'
by the Mainstream Media in the United States”
#Hiroshima #Nagasaki #NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist
intersections.anu.edu.au/issue24/jaco...
by Reconstructing the Victim's Body:
The Portrayal of the 'Hiroshima Maidens'
by the Mainstream Media in the United States”
#Hiroshima #Nagasaki #NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist
intersections.anu.edu.au/issue24/jaco...
Reposted by Franco Escobar
Right now in 1956 at Bikini Atoll in the North Pacific (5:46 AM July 21, local time), the United States conducted Shot TEWA of Operation Redwing. Detonated on a barge between Namu and Yurochi Islands, the 5-Megaton explosion blasted a crater in the seafloor 4,000 feet in diameter and 129 feet deep.
NEW Redwing Tewa 4K UHD Restoration
YouTube video by atomcentral
www.youtube.com
July 20, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Right now in 1956 at Bikini Atoll in the North Pacific (5:46 AM July 21, local time), the United States conducted Shot TEWA of Operation Redwing. Detonated on a barge between Namu and Yurochi Islands, the 5-Megaton explosion blasted a crater in the seafloor 4,000 feet in diameter and 129 feet deep.
Reposted by Franco Escobar
Reposted by Franco Escobar
In 2023, a stunning scientific analysis of historical data combined with atmospheric transport modeling found that within 10 days of the Trinity test, radioactive fallout had spread to 46 states, Mexico, and Canada, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people (see animated map in link).
Trinity Nuclear Test’s Fallout Reached 46 States, Canada and Mexico, Study Finds (Published 2023)
www.nytimes.com
July 16, 2025 at 12:52 PM
In 2023, a stunning scientific analysis of historical data combined with atmospheric transport modeling found that within 10 days of the Trinity test, radioactive fallout had spread to 46 states, Mexico, and Canada, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of people (see animated map in link).
Reposted by Franco Escobar
The April 1986 disaster at Chernobyl’s nuclear powerstation is remembered as one of the darkest moments of Ukrainian history, but it is also inspiring expressions of art, folklore, poetry and humor.
Ukraine’s Chernobyl disaster gives birth to new expressions of folklore
The April 1986 disaster at Chernobyl’s nuclear powerstation is remembered as one of the darkest moments of Ukrainian history, but it is also inspiring expressions of art, folklore, poetry and humor.
globalvoices.org
July 10, 2025 at 1:20 PM
The April 1986 disaster at Chernobyl’s nuclear powerstation is remembered as one of the darkest moments of Ukrainian history, but it is also inspiring expressions of art, folklore, poetry and humor.
A study of 51 leaders from nuclear-armed states found that 45% had physical or mental health issues such as severe depression, cognitive decline, substance use disorders, among other issues severe enough to impair decision-making around nuclear weapons. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
July 9, 2025 at 8:48 AM
A study of 51 leaders from nuclear-armed states found that 45% had physical or mental health issues such as severe depression, cognitive decline, substance use disorders, among other issues severe enough to impair decision-making around nuclear weapons. bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....
I am infinitely grateful to the #HiroshimaPeaceInstitute and the #DavidBruceCentre for funding my research. I first learned about #GreenLegacyHiroshima while conducting interviews with activists and organizers in Japan. Almost a year later, we now have some seeds here at Keele. 2/2
May 28, 2025 at 3:31 PM
I am infinitely grateful to the #HiroshimaPeaceInstitute and the #DavidBruceCentre for funding my research. I first learned about #GreenLegacyHiroshima while conducting interviews with activists and organizers in Japan. Almost a year later, we now have some seeds here at Keele. 2/2
Look! These seeds came from trees that survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and they will grow here at #KeeleUniversity . Read the blog: medium.com/@s.l.taylor_...
This is my first time holding Ginkgo and Platanus Orientalis seeds with my own hands. 1/2
This is my first time holding Ginkgo and Platanus Orientalis seeds with my own hands. 1/2
A new legacy for Hiroshima’s trees
This is the first of a series of blogs documenting Keele University’s journey as the 19th UK partner on the Green Legacy Hiroshima (GLH)…
medium.com
May 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Look! These seeds came from trees that survived the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and they will grow here at #KeeleUniversity . Read the blog: medium.com/@s.l.taylor_...
This is my first time holding Ginkgo and Platanus Orientalis seeds with my own hands. 1/2
This is my first time holding Ginkgo and Platanus Orientalis seeds with my own hands. 1/2
Reposted by Franco Escobar
The Japanese translation of my book *Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha* has been released by The University Press of Nagoya.
#NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist #nuclear #Hiroshima #GlobalHibakusha
Check it out and find a link to the publisher's page on my book website:
nuclearbodies.com
#NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist #nuclear #Hiroshima #GlobalHibakusha
Check it out and find a link to the publisher's page on my book website:
nuclearbodies.com
Home | Nuclear Bodies
nuclearbodies.com
March 17, 2025 at 8:19 AM
The Japanese translation of my book *Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha* has been released by The University Press of Nagoya.
#NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist #nuclear #Hiroshima #GlobalHibakusha
Check it out and find a link to the publisher's page on my book website:
nuclearbodies.com
#NukeSky #HistSTM #EnvHist #nuclear #Hiroshima #GlobalHibakusha
Check it out and find a link to the publisher's page on my book website:
nuclearbodies.com
I think the clock isn't just a measure of our "progress."But instead, a call to reflect: Why is this happening? What are we doing wrong—or failing to do? Who do we mean by "we"? And if the clock is accurately represents our proximity to doomsday, why are "we" not listening?
2025 Doomsday Clock Statement - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
It is 89 seconds to midnight.
thebulletin.org
January 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
I think the clock isn't just a measure of our "progress."But instead, a call to reflect: Why is this happening? What are we doing wrong—or failing to do? Who do we mean by "we"? And if the clock is accurately represents our proximity to doomsday, why are "we" not listening?
"It is 89 seconds to midnight." The Bulletin moved the Doomsday Clock one second closer to catastrophe. They ask: "Is humanity safer or at greater risk this year compared to last year? And compared to the past 75 years?" This year, we are heading in the wrong direction.... still.
2025 Doomsday Clock Statement - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
It is 89 seconds to midnight.
thebulletin.org
January 28, 2025 at 5:04 PM
"It is 89 seconds to midnight." The Bulletin moved the Doomsday Clock one second closer to catastrophe. They ask: "Is humanity safer or at greater risk this year compared to last year? And compared to the past 75 years?" This year, we are heading in the wrong direction.... still.