MISLEADING

The claim inaccurately describes the physics of nuclear fission by conflating radiation with the bulk of energy release. While a small portion of fission energy is emitted as prompt gamma rays and neutrinos that travel at or near the speed of light, approximately 80 percent of the total energy is released as the kinetic energy of fission fragments, which travel at only about 3 percent to 5 percent of the speed of light (1.1.3, 2.3.6). Furthermore, while beryllium is widely used as a 'reflector' in nuclear reactors and weapons, its function is to reflect neutrons back into the fissile core through elastic scattering, a bulk nuclear interaction that does not require 'shiny' surfaces (1.2.4, 1.3.3). In thermonuclear designs, the reflection of radiant energy (X-rays) is typically performed by a 'radiation case' made of high-atomic-number materials like gold or lead, whereas beryllium is a low-atomic-number material often used specifically for its transparency to X-rays (2.4.3). This specific phrasing appears to originate from sensationalist or religious media rather than scientific literature (2.2.1).