Scientists simulating the Big Bang accidentally turn lead into gold

Lead and gold are different elements, with a difference of three protons between them

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Scientific breakthrough when researchers accidentally turn lead into gold while trying to recreate the Big Bang

The Alchemist

Physicists at the Large Hadron Collider accidentally turned lead into gold while trying to recreate the Big Bang. Researchers working on the “Alice” experiment at Cern, Switzerland, have produced a rare precious metal as they try to recreate conditions from shortly after the universe began. Medieval alchemists had tried to turn lead into gold for … Read more

Quantum Computing Builds an Impossible Molecule – with Big Implications

Dyson orbital

Isosurface of the Dyson orbital, taken from Piccinelli, Samuele, et al., “Exploring paths towards quantum chemistry: the case of a molecule with a half-Möbius topology,” arXiv, 9 March 2026. arXiv:2603.08696 A recent paper in the journal Science announced the discovery of a truly new and surprising substance that could have a major impact on our … Read more