Uranium cubes reveal why the German nuclear project failed

Researchers used a mysterious uranium cube to determine that the German nuclear project failed due to insufficient uranium and heavy water, contradicting physicist Werner Heisenberg's claims. The cube, one of 14 known to exist, was discovered by University of Maryland physicist Timothy Koeth in 2013. Koeth and his team tracked down 10 other cubes in the US, including one at the Smithsonian Institute and another at Harvard University. The research suggests that the German project's failure was due to fierce competition, interpersonal rivalries, and poor scientific management, rather than a lack of technical expertise. The team's findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus. The study provides new insight into the history of the Manhattan Project and the German nuclear program during World War II. The researchers used the cube to recreate the conditions of the B8 pile experiment, a failed attempt by the Germans to build a working nuclear reactor. Heisenberg had claimed that the project was close to achieving criticality, but the team's calculations suggest that this was not the case. The team's findings suggest that the Germans were significantly further behind than previously thought, and that their project was ultimately doomed by a lack of resources.