Well, to be sure, calling this a "Man-made star" is quite a stretch. In fact, it is nothing of the sort. It is a small-scale fusion reaction. Yes, this can inde

Well, to be sure, calling this a "Man-made star" is quite a stretch. In fact, it is nothing of the sort. It is a small-scale fusion reaction. Yes, this can indeed tell them some things about how stars operate, but in no way, shape, or form does it, as claimed by the article, "allow the researchers to probe the insides of stars and supernovae in unprecedented detail". That's not to say they won't be surprised by some unexpected side-effects. Who knows? But they certainly won't be doing a 2010 to planet Earth. Besides, we have already created fusion reactions vastly larger than what NIF will be creating. It's called the hydrogen bomb.