Question: Can you make nuclear bombs?

Hywel Owen answered on 16 Jun 2012:

The short answer is: No.

The principles of nuclear weapons are pretty clear to most people with a degree in physics. However, actually putting one together must require a lot of detailed information that isn’t publicly available – I imagine that information is about as secret as secrets can get! Also, it’s basically impossible for any civilian to have the organisation, effort, and skills required to make the materials that go inside, and it would be ridiculously dangerous to try. I presume that’s why very few countries have ever been successful at making them, and these days you couldn’t start developing a weapon without a LOT of people paying attention to you.