Month: February 2024

Scientists Waited Ages to Find a ‘Missing Link’ Black Hole – Then Stumbled on 2

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A black circle with a blue outline against a black background with white specks

For decades, astronomers have searched without much joy for signs of “missing link” black holes, aka black holes with masses between those of “stellar-mass black holes” and “supermassive black holes.” The former have been seen scattered across the universe, and the latter are cosmic titans that dominate the hearts of galaxies — but when it … Read more

Physicists just created an element using a particle beam

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A scientist working on a separator in the experiment. Photo: Marilyn Sargent/Berkeley Lab

A team of researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California announced today that they created livermorium, or element 116, using a titanium particle beam for the first time. The achievement puts scientists close to the island of stability, a theorized point where superheavy elements can be long-lived, making them easier to study. “We needed … Read more