The JET nuclear fusion reactor in Oxfordshire, UK, set many records over its 40 years of operation, pushing forward our understanding of how to spark and contain reactions of the type normally only found within the heart of a star. Although it has now reached the end of its life, it will break records once more as the team behind the experiment attempt something that has never been done before: recycling a fusion reactor. Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Is cheap, clean energy finally here?

China's'artificial sun' nuclear fusion reactor in Hefei has set a new world record after running at 126 million F (70 million C) for 1,056 seconds – more than 17 minutes. This record, set on December 30, marks the longest running duration for an experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST) fusion energy reactor, Xinhua News Agency reports. EAST already set a previous record in May by running for 101 seconds at a higher temperature – 216 million F (120 million C). Nuclear fusion power works by colliding heavy hydrogen atoms to form helium, releasing vast amounts of energy, mimicking the process that occurs naturally in the centre of stars like our sun. How it works: This graphic shows the inside of a nuclear fusion reactor and explains the process by which power is produced.

Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories recently designed machine learning algorithms intended to improve the energy output of nuclear fusion reactors. The research team utilized AI algorithms to simulate the interactions between plasma and materials within the walls of a nuclear fusion reactor. Unlike nuclear fission, which involves splitting atoms apart, the energy created by fusion reactions releases energy through the creation of plasma. Hydrogen atoms are superheated to create a plasma cloud and this cloud releases energy as the particles within it smash into one another and fuse together. This process is chaotic, and if scientists can better control the fusion process, it could lead to substantial increases in the amount of usable energy created by nuclear fusion reactors.