Fusing existing elements to form superheavy ones that don’t exist naturally has never been easy. What’s more, the signs of possible success are so fleeting and ambiguous that researchers sometimes fool themselves, as happened recently in efforts to forge element 118 (SN: 8/4/01, p. 68: Researchers take an element off the table).
Log in
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.