Studying the North Korean blast

NPR : Scientists are still trying to determine whether the North Korean explosion on Monday was caused by a nuclear bomb. As stated yesterday seismic signals of a artifical explosion were heard around the world, but that alone does not prove the blast was nuclear. Both the LA Times and the New York Times quote experts confirming earlier reports that it was a fizzle. The Washington Post quotes Chinese officials saying that the North Koreans told them that the test would be 4 kilotons, compared to the 1-0.5 kilotons that seismographs detected. Jane’s Defence Weekly also expresses the view that the test was a dud.Despite the believed failure of the test by the international community, the explosion may still start an arms race in the region. The New York Times describes how Japan is re-assessing its military spending, and may consider reprocessing some of its civilian stockpile of plutonium into nuclear weapons. Slate.com also asks did North Korea need to test a bomb in the first place. Related links Did North Korea conduct a nuclear test? Physics Today news picks Scientists scramble to study North Korean blast NPR (audio) Even if Device Was Flawed, Test Crossed a Threshold LA Times Blast May Be Only a Partial Success, Experts Say New York Times Low Yield Of Blast Surprises Analysts Washington Post North Korea Claim Nuclear Test Jane’s Defence Weekly Japan Now Seems Likely to Rally Behind New Prime Minister’s Call for a Stronger Military New York Times Does North Korea need to test its nuclear weapons? Slate.com