The most common way to desensitise an explosive is by mixing it with a non-explosive material, such as wax or paper.

ECONOMIST: A new hybrid explosive is safer to handle but still powerful

This week's agreement between Britain and France to jointly develop and carry out non-explosive tests might be a spur to US efforts to do the same.

BBC: Obama's world image tarnished - but policies will remain

And in November of that year, a wheelchair-bound bombshell (of the non-explosive variety) stripped down to her black lingerie to make the TSA agent that would pat her down as uncomfortable as she was with being patted down.

FORBES: Getting Naked At The Airport To Protest The TSA Is So 2010

Since 1992, in the place of testing, the United States has relied for "stockpile stewardship" on a host of computer-modeling, other simulation techniques and non-nuclear explosive tests that have provided insights into the performance of an aging arsenal.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Are we serious about deterrence?

Recent explosive tests of the non-nuclear triggers needed for building more nuclear weapons are thought to be part of an effort to adapt designs for missile-mountable warheads to use plutonium.

ECONOMIST: Peace or war on the Korean peninsula

But explosive testing damaged our health, disrupted our environment and set back our non-proliferation goals.

WHITEHOUSE: VP Biden: The Path to Nuclear Security

An act of pure heroism on his part sets the plot in motion, but this non-traditional film never lets us forget that it is also a violent act and, as such, has an explosive effect on everyone's life.

NPR: 'A History of Violence': A Ticking Timebomb