This isn't new. The US has been regularly doing these kinds of tests since the 90s and two took place last year. I'd be surprised if this was a specific response to Russia instead of something that's been planned for months.
> Russian lawmakers announced their intention to revoke the ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
> Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said last week that Moscow will continue to respect the ban and will only resume nuclear tests if Washington does so first.
> The U.S. conducted a high-explosive experiment at a nuclear test site in Nevada hours after Russia revoked a ban on atomic-weapons testing
> A bill will go to the Russian upper house, the Federation Council, which will consider it next week. Federation Council lawmakers have already said they will support the bill.
That's probably the most biased and internally incosistent article about nuclear testing I've seen.
Can we only title things like this a sub-critical test
I realize the hacker news headline accurately reproduces the incredibly dangerous and clickbaity Fox news headline. But it's incredibly misleading. Even if Fox News won't do better - can we? So then the title would appear:
"US conducts [Subcritical] nuclear test in Nevada hours after Russian move to revoke test ban (foxnews.com)"
Unless someone has more details, "Subcritical" is being generous:
Wednesday's test used chemicals and radioisotopes to "validate new predictive explosion models" that can help detect atomic blasts in other countries, Bloomberg reported, citing the Department of Energy.
Conventional explosives, some radioactive tracers mixed in, and see what can be detected above ground? To improve understanding of how an actual nuclear blast elsewhere may be detected? (say, apart from seismic data or other sources). Or something like that.
In short: not a nuclear blast in any way, shape or form. Fox title is clickbait fluff.
I would not call it clickbait. "nuclear test" is a term that has a specific meaning, and it seems that most people would read the headline as meaning that the US has set off a nuclear (fission or fusion) bomb, unless I am completely reading it wrong.
I would consider the headline to be disinformation.
