Because scientists would have to basically reproduce the conditions at the core of the sun to bring this atom-mashing technology to fruition though, it's been a bit slow to evolve. Researchers at MIT however, have just passed an important milestone on the long path to a fusion future, placing plasma under what they say is the most pressure ever created in a fusion device.

In nuclear fusion, the nuclei of atoms are basically forced to join together despite their natural repellency. When they fuse, they release a tremendous amount of energy. How much? Well, it's the process that keeps our sun churning, where molecules of hydrogen are fused together in its core to create helium.

To recreate controlled nuclear fusion on Earth (unlike the uncontrolled version involved in a hydrogen bomb), gas is first heated to super-hot temperatures to form plasma. The plasma is simultaneously placed under intense pressure with the goal of keeping it stable, and is contained by an electromagnetic field.