Nuclear power isn’t dead, despite a body blow from the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan. And if our guest Nathan Myhrvold has anything to do with it, nuclear technology might see a true resurgence, taking the place of carbon-emitting coal plants in fast-growing countries like China and India. In this episode Myhrvold talks about progress at TerraPower—a spinout of his patent management firm Intellectual Ventures—where engineers are designing reactors that run on waste uranium and aren’t vulnerable to loss-of-coolant accidents.

Hosted and produced by Wade Roush. Music by Newfane. For more news and commentary about high-tech innovation in eleven cities and regions around the country, visit Xconomy.com.