LiveScience.com - Record Set for Hottest Temperature on Earth: 3.6 Billion Degrees in Lab

Does this strike anyone else as—odd? Like, impossible?

One thing that puzzles scientists is that the high temperature was achieved after the plasma’s ions should have been losing energy and cooling. Also, when the high temperature was achieved, the Z machine was releasing more energy than was originally put in, something that usually occurs only in nuclear reactions.

I seem to recall that the Z Machine has something to do with fusion research.

Ah yes. Here it is:

Last year, when physicists placed a capsule of deuterium, or heavy hydrogen, at the focus of the z-pinch, they detected neutrons flying out from the implosion site – a signal that fusion reactions were taking place, as they do in the sun.

If researchers can learn to tame these fusion reactions, the setup can rely on a seemingly endless supply of deuterium fuel in seawater.