Space and Physics
PUBLISHED
1
If you’re one of the lucky few Fallout 4 players who’s managed to peel themselves off the sofa, you might be wondering: How long could I actually survive in a post-nuclear war world?
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The basic premise of Fallout 4 is a nuclear war has ravaged Earth and the few who have survived must retreat to fallout shelters or vaults. But could you actually live like this for any prolonged period of time?
There’s a lot to think about. First you’re going to need underground shelter to protect yourself from the damaging particles of ionizing radiation. Prolonged exposure to this nasty stuff can cause serious illness, and eventually death. If you figure that out, you’ve then got to start to thinking about how you're going to get food and drink down here, needing to be 61 meters (200 feet) beneath the surface for safety. Finally, if you want to be in your shelter for a long time, you’re going to need an energy source.
Thankfully, this episode of American Chemical Society's Reactions YouTube series has broken it down and gives some handy tips on surviving the post-apocalyptic nuclear fallout.
Remember to write notes – you never know.
Main image credit: International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons/Flickr. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
