People called this scientist a terrible mom after a photo of her placing her bump on a radioactive container went viral but she proved nuclear energy is safe
Published on Feb 26, 2026 at 4:44 PM (UTC+4)
by Ben Thompson
Last updated on Feb 26, 2026 at 4:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
When this pro-nuclear campaigner placed her baby bump against a container of nuclear waste, she was blasted as a ‘terrible mom’ – but she had a point to prove about nuclear energy.
Madison Hilly has been advocating for nuclear energy for years, despite knowing that people are often fearful of it.
To make a point about how safe it really is, she placed her baby against a container at Idaho National Labs.
An online backlash followed, but Hilly felt she’d made her point.
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How this baby bump photo caused uproar online
This all took place in 2023, when Hilly was six months pregnant and heading out to Idaho National Labs for a trip.
“In [doing] my research, I discovered that the waste from the melted-down Three Mile Island core was there in dry cast storage,” Hilly told Supercar Blondie.
“And I thought, well, that’s really cool. And at the time that we were scheduling the trip, I was going to be about six months pregnant.
“And I thought, what better way to demonstrate how safe this is than to just bump up against it?
“Because I think most people who are not unhinged online people, who haven’t touched grass, would realize that a mom would not put her baby in danger for a Twitter stunt.”
At first glance, this sounds like it would get total condemnation.
But actually, the photo got a less hostile reception than you might have expected.
“It was more mixed than it would have been if it were posted when I started [being a nuclear advocate] in 2017,” Hilly said.
“I got a lot of online hate back then. This was half, ‘Wow, this is great’, and the other half joking about, ‘I hope your baby has radioactive superpowers’.
“But then there were some people who said: ‘What a terrible mom, doing this for a stunt, putting her baby at risk’.
“I explained in my follow-up tweets – this was not a zero radiation stunt.
“I had to get on a flight from Chicago to Idaho Falls, and I got some solar radiation, and then it was a sunny day, so I wore sunscreen, but I’m sure I got more radiation exposure from the sun.
“In terms of the waste itself, my dosimeter was zero. I got no radiation from the nuclear waste.”
Fortunately for everyone involved, Hilly’s daughter has not developed any superpowers as a result.
“I tell people she’s off the charts in terms of sass. So that’s possibly from the radiation, but other than that, no indication of glowing green or super strength,” Hilly joked.
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Why are some people anxious about nuclear energy?
You only have to take a cursory glance online to see that nuclear energy is constantly being spoken about.
Just recently, the world’s first nuclear reactor that can be mass-produced passed an important safety test in the US.
And then there’s all the talk about artificial suns, whether made in China or by Bill Gates.
Even kids are getting in on the action, as demonstrated by 12-year-old Jackson Oswalt from Memphis.
So with all of that being said, why is there anxiety and fear surrounding nuclear energy?
“I think part of it is cultural,” Hilly said.
“When I started to research nuclear energy, one of my first questions was, ‘What do we do about the waste?’
“Because I was picturing glowing green goo and three-eyed fish. So certainly like off culture and has imprinted on people’s minds.”
It sounds like The Simpsons has played some part in shaping popular conceptions around nuclear energy.
The question of safely disposing of nuclear waste is something that scientists work on constantly.
Over in Finland, where 35 percent of the power comes from nuclear, a ‘tomb’ was set up in which waste could be sealed up for 100,000 years.
This would give the waste sufficient time to break down safely.
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Following stints at LadBible, The Sun, The New York Post, and the Daily Mail, Ben joined the team full-time in February 2025. In his role as Senior Content Writer, his sparkling copy, the ability to sniff out a good story at 100 paces, and a GSOH quickly led to him becoming an integral and invaluable member of the writing staff.
