Ms. Fox, thanks for being here. One of the more popular stories that gets told around here is the experience of the film crew on the John Wayne film The Conqueror. Could you explain whether there's any truth to the assertion that upwind testing caused high rates of cancer among the filming crew?

According to Wikipedia, at least 1054 tests have been concluded by the US alone, what warranted all these tests? Was it purely for testing or was it mostly demonstrations of power to the enemy?

Before the Amchitka tests here in Alaska, there were fears among coastal Alaska residents that the underground blasts would trigger tsunami. Were there any fears that testing in the western U.S. would cause geological effects or other natural disasters?

How significant were radiation releases during the underground testing era?

Hi Sarah- I've heard the argument that "traditional" nuclear weapons are becoming obsolete with the advancement of satellite and infrared targeting technology rendering the need to destroy entire population centers no longer necessary. Do you see this as an accurate assessment and if so, how do envision the world dealing with the existing arsenal of warheads in the next 20-50 years?

While the nuclear tests get much of the spotlight - particularly those early, unforgettable, images of mushroom clouds - what sort of infrastructure came to underpin these? Essentially, can you give us an idea as to the scale of the US nuclear weapons industry during the Cold War? For example, did it employ hundreds or hundreds of thousands?

As a non-American I'm trying to understand the place of this industry in the US. And thanks for taking the time for this AMA.

Did Canada contribute in a significant way to the Cold War uranium industry? Given the size of the deposits in Canada it seems likely.

Atomic Winds in the Grasslands? Sarah, Thank you for such an exceptional book. Your work has certainly helped me think and rethink about how environments (aerial and terrestrial), technologies, and culture interact--especially concerning communities on the toxic end of nuclear tests. My question is: did atomic winds venture into the Great Plains states? And, if so, how did it affect agriculture and rural communities in that region? thanks again for writing such an important book, D. Vail

How much did it cost over the years?

What forms of animal life were most effected by nuclear testing? Is the commonly used image of an irradiated, two-headed lizard something that actually occurred in some form? Were there any lasting effects on marine life in areas subjected to underwater testing?

Was the mushroom cloud formation after the first nuclear weapon tests something expected, or were scientists unsure of what form the explosion would take?

How many tests were gun type?

Why were so many of the atmospheric tests conducted in the US instead of the Pacific? Testing started on Bikini Atoll in 1946.

What do you think of Kate Brown's Plutopia? Do you think the uranium industries of the Cold War (both American and Soviet) and particularly the experience of people living in proximity to it lend credence to so-called "convergence theory"?

A recent piece of media that has a Navajo character telling about how his people were not only subjected to downwind fallout, but also used heavily as labor in uranium mines in the same area, with insufficient precautions. Is there any validity to this radiological "double-dipping" or is this just narrative license?

What scientific advancements, other than improved nuclear technology, came out from the proliferation of nuclear weapons? Also, what is your opinion of the book Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety by Eric Schlosser?

As I read Dan O'Neill's Firecracker Boys, I'm curious when knowledge of the widespread detrimental effects of atmospheric testing reached the general public.

Have you read Joseph Masco's work Nuclear Borderlands: The Manhattan Project in Post-Cold War New Mexico? If so, what are your thoughts?