Natan Yavlinsky

Natan Yavlinsky invented the tokamak.

Toka-what?

Tokamak: not just a fun word to say! It's a giant doughnut-shaped device that is filled with plasma. That plasma spins around the torus (the "to-" in tokamak), kept inside by a magnetic field.

Sounds somewhat important.

Yavlinsky has been dead for half a century, but right now, even bigger tokamaks are being built in both Europe and the US. Scientists believe that they provide the best chance to create fusion. You know, like the sun, but here on Earth.

Oh.

Oh indeed! Let's just hope these tokamak enthusiasts keep it safe, right?