The payoff in nuclear energy comes when a mass of fissionable material “goes critical,” i.e., when it begins to support a nuclear chain reaction. In the early days of the Los Alamos atom-bomb ...

Physicists have measured the “skin” of an atom for the first time and, perhaps unsurprisingly, it is extremely thin. The measurement may help us understand the properties of neutron stars. Lead-208, ...

"This is the first time we've been able to verify that metals heavier than iron and silver were freshly made in front of us." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate ...

The telescope traced an incredibly bright gamma-ray burst to a kilonova, a dramatic event believed to forge heavy elements like gold. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

When space talk turns to far-out exploration, to manned voyages far beyond the moon or Mars, most plans call for a nuclear reactor capable of providing abundant power without paying too much of a ...