As a physics drop-out any progress in developing thorium reactors is exctiting news to me. However, I don't see how this "rewrites" anything. Doesn't it just co

As a physics drop-out any progress in developing thorium reactors is exctiting news to me. However, I don't see how this "rewrites" anything. Doesn't it just confirm what we've basically known for a long time but didn't bother to research because "nuclear = bad" in the public perception?