In 2015, Finland became the first nation to approve a deep underground facility designed to store high-level nuclear waste, with plans to have it fully functional by 2023, as reported by Nature magazine.
The storage site sits on Olkiluoto Island off Finland’s southwest coast. Up to 6,500 tons of radioactive uranium will be sealed in copper canisters, then buried beneath clay and encased within granite tunnels about 400 meters underground. The radiological material will be kept safely contained for hundreds of thousands of years, during which time radiation levels will remain manageable for surrounding ecosystems and people.
Beyond progressing the waste storage project, researchers are also pursuing advances in genome editing, efforts to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and the development of vaccines for malaria, tuberculosis, and genital herpes, according to recent scientific journals.
Note: Several notable developments in Russian science were highlighted in 2022 by reputable science outlets, reflecting a period of intense activity and change in the field.