The heavy element strontium is created in the violent collision of a pair of neutron stars, according to a new study. It’s the first time scientists have detected the birth of a heavy element ...

If a short-duration GRB leads to a kilonova, then it could be a source of heavy, neutron-rich atoms. That list could include gold, though the research paper doesn't mention any element by name.

Neutron collisions are cosmic events of immense power that have the ability to forge some of the universe’s most precious ...

Kobayashi and colleagues created models describing the origin of every element in the universe as a function of time and environment. They came to the conclusion that the timescale of binary neutron ...

My precious: Did imploding neutron stars produce the gold in your jewellery? Precious elements may come from spinning neutron stars that have swallowed a tiny black hole and imploded. If true, this ...

What happens when you keep adding neutrons until reality itself breaks? Neutrons, the neutral glue inside atomic nuclei, seem limitless—but when enough mass is packed at nuclear density, gravity takes ...

The 118 confirmed chemical elements in the universe have not all been there from the beginning. Some formed in the Big Bang, some are created in stars, and some we have only seen in the lab.

Models for how heavy elements are produced within stars have become more accurate thanks to measurements by RIKEN nuclear physicists of the probabilities that 20 neutron-rich nuclei will shed neutrons ...

In rapid neutron capture, neutrons are captured quickly by an atomic nucleus. In addition to the speed factor, heavy elements like strontium also need incredibly hot environments full of free ...

For the first time, a freshly made heavy element, strontium, has been detected in space, in the aftermath of a merger of two neutron stars. This finding was observed by ESO’s X-shooter ...

The cosmic origins of elements heavier than iron are mysterious. One elemental birthplace came to light in 2017 when two neutron-rich dead stars collided and spewed out gold, platinum and other ...

It was data from a neutron star merger observed in 2017 that led them to this discovery. “By reanalyzing the 2017 data from the merger, we have now identified the signature of one heavy element ...