Australian researchers have developed a new way to enrich uranium, the fuel used in nuclear power plants.  The method uses lasers to separate rare uranium 235 from its comparably plentiful counterpart, uranium 238--a necessary initial step in the production of nuclear power.  Most nuclear power plants today use an expensive series of centrifuges that use G-force to separate the two isotopes.

Michael Goldsworthy, the leader of the laser enrichment project, is hopeful that one-third of the world's power plant uranium will be enriched using the new process.  General Electric has bought the right to commercialize the technology.

Up until now, the benefits of nuclear power have been stifled by high production costs and concerns over environmental and health risks.