The Atomic Exchange Podcast

In the 22nd installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous open with a surprising PSA: radon gas is the deadliest radiation risk most people face, linked to roughly 21 000 lung-cancer deaths a year in North America, yet few homeowners even test for it. From cheap basement monitors to Canada’s uranium-rich soils, they lay out what listeners can do today. T...

In the 21st installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous debrief day one of MIT & CATF’s “Nuclear Energy: Key Facts & Figures” summit. They break down why levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) misses the true system price tag, compare the wildly different financing models behind Olkiluoto-3, Hinkley Point C, Barakah, and Turkey’s Akkuyu plant, a...

In the 20th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous mark their double‑digit milestone by tackling Europe’s sudden rethink on atomic energy. From Italy’s plan to end its 40‑year ban, to Germany’s flirtation with SMRs after a decade of phase‑outs, to Spain’s soul‑searching after the Iberian blackout, they ask what’s really driving the policy U‑turn:...

In the 19th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dissect President Trump’s four May 23rd executive orders—the most sweeping U.S. nuclear directives since Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace.” They break down the headline mandates: an 18‑month cap on every NRC license, Department of Defense and Energy fast‑tracking micro‑reactors for AI data centers a...

In the 18th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dissect China's headline plan to roll out 150 new reactors—at roughly US $2.5–3 billion per gigawatt—before 2035. They probe how dirt‑cheap state loans, a 700 000‑person nuclear workforce, and factory‑style repetition let China pour concrete in five‑year cycles, and why the same formula could...

In the 17th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous unpack a 2017 Nature Energy study by Edson Severnini that tracks what happened when two TVA nuclear reactors went offline in the 1980s. They walk through how each megawatt‑hour lost to nuclear was replaced one‑for‑one by coal, sending particulate pollution soaring by roughly 10 µg/m³—enough to era...

In the 16th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co‑hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous unpack two seismic energy stories that reveal critical blind spots in today’s transition debates. First, they dissect Apple’s high‑profile “Apple Intelligence” Siri demo—how a colorful animation hid genuine AI features that insiders say never worked, sparking leadership shakeups, lawsuits for fals...

In the 15th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous reflect on a recent talk by Equinor’s Chief Economist, Eirik Wærness, delivered at the Ivey Business School. The keynote challenged prevailing energy narratives—arguing that we are not transitioning away from fossil fuels, but rather layering renewables on top. Goran and Michael dive deep into th...

In the 14th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dive into a newly published paper in Energy Policy titled “The Polarization of Energy Preferences: A Study on Social Acceptance of Wind and Nuclear Power in Sweden.” The study explores how public support for wind and nuclear energy is increasingly shaped not by safety or economics—but by political...

In the 13th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dissect a newly published paper in  Energy Policy  titled  “Atomic rivers. The (Un)sustainability of nuclear power in an age of climate change.”  The authors argue that nuclear plants relying on once-through cooling are environmentally unsustainable, legally problematic, and increasingly intermit...

In the 12th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dive into the surprising results of Goran’s recent research talk at McMaster University—where he revealed that building the same nuclear reactor design over and over doesn’t make things faster. In fact, it may slow things down. They explore the concept of “codification creep,” a form of managerial...

In the 11th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous turn their attention to South Korea—a country that has quietly become one of the most successful nuclear builders in the world. With 25 reactors and an impressive track record of delivering projects on time, South Korea stands in stark contrast to the delays and dysfunction plaguing Western nuclea...

In the 10th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous go deep into the nuclear split in Europe—how two of its most powerful economies ended up on opposite ends of the atomic spectrum. Why did France double down while Germany phased out? What role did politics, energy resources, and climate narratives play? They also unpack what it will take to get Ge...

In the 9th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous break down three of the biggest stories shaping nuclear strategy and energy policy. They start with Canada’s latest response to U.S. tariffs—Premier Doug Ford slaps a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to Michigan, Minnesota, and New York, while Pierre Poilievre proposes an even steeper 50% tax...

In the 8th installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous unpack the latest tensions between Canada and the United States—and why knee-jerk nationalism could be Canada’s biggest mistake. The conversation kicks off with reflections on Jordan Peterson’s recent Toronto talk, his shifting audience, and whether his philosophy leans too much into self-help. Fr...

In the 7th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous take a critical look at a  Nature Energy study titled  Differences in Carbon Emissions Reduction Between Countries Pursuing Renewable Electricity versus Nuclear Power . The study claims that renewables reduce emissions more effectively than nuclear and suggests that the two energy sources compete r...

In the 6th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous explore Michael’s journey into nuclear energy—from early exposure to politics and misconceptions about nuclear power being inherently dangerous to the pivotal moments that reshaped his views. They discuss why many people still associate nuclear energy with weapons, why myths about catastrophic melt...

In the 5th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous unpack key insights from the recent Globe and Mail event on nuclear energy in Canada. The discussion explores the industry's growing momentum, the challenges of high costs and long construction timelines, and whether SMRs truly offer a faster, more affordable path forward. They also examine wha...

In the 4th installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous examine Governor Greg Abbott’s new legislation aimed at streamlining nuclear energy development in Texas. They explore its key provisions—from the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Authority to a 2035 target for advanced reactor deployment—and question whether it’s ambitious enough to keep pace with AI...

In the 3rd installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous shift focus from AI back to the core of this podcast—energy. The conversation starts with an exploration of what energy truly is and why it’s crucial for modern life, from everyday conveniences to lifesaving technologies. Drawing on the remote Canadian community of Iqaluit, they discuss how extreme...

In the 2nd installment of The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous dive into the groundbreaking advancements of DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that's making waves in the tech industry. We explore the implications of DeepSeek's cost-efficient R1 model on AI innovation, the competitive landscape of U.S.-China tech relations, and the ripple effects on the s...

In the 1st installment of  The Atomic Exchange Podcast , co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous discuss the groundbreaking announcement of the Stargate Project, an ambitious $500 billion initiative launched by President Donald Trump and tech leaders, aimed at advancing artificial intelligence across the U.S. The episode explores the project’s massive energy demands, its implications for AI d...

In this introductory episode, co-hosts Dr. Goran Calic and Michael Tadrous welcome listeners to  The Atomic Exchange Podcast . They dive into their motivations for creating the podcast, share personal stories about how they became passionate about nuclear energy, and discuss the podcast's mission to spark engaging conversations about nuclear energy, energy policy, and global innovation. This e...