Remnants of a supernova called Cassiopeia A, located in our galaxy about 11,000 light-years from Earth. Scientists have long thought that supernovae were responsible for the creation of the heaviest elements, but new research suggests other types of stellar events may also be in play. (NASA / CXC / RIKEN / T. Sato et al.; NuSTAR: NASA / NuSTAR)
by Alex Fox/Smithsonianmag.com
Scientists studying a hunk of Earth’s crust gathered from deep in the Pacific Ocean have discovered traces of rare forms of plutonium and iron whose chemical makeup suggests they were forged in powerful collisions or explosions in outer space before falling to Earth, reports Nell Greenfieldboyce for NPR.
The first-ever discovery of an extraterrestrial radioactive isotope on Earth has scientists rethinking the origins of the elements on our planet. The tiny traces of plutonium-244 (Pu-244) were found in ocean crust alongside radioactive iron-60. The two isotopes are evidence of violent cosmic events in the vicinity of Earth millions of years ago.
Star explosions, or supernovae create many of the heavy elements in the periodic table, including those vital for human life, such as iron, potassium and iodine. To form even heavier elements, such as gold, uranium and plutonium it was thought that a more violent event may be needed, such as two neutron stars merging.
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For the first time, scientists have discovered a rare form of plutonium on Earth. The radioactive element was lurking at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and an exploding star appears to have helped it get there.
Why it matters: The discovery of this plutonium (plutonium-244) could help scientists understand how very heavy elements form, filling a gap in our understanding of the universe. These are the elements where we are still in a mystery, lead researcher Anton Wallner told NPR. We do not know exactly where they are produced and how much is produced in different sites.
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