One of the things that’s always bothered me about the periodic table is that there are blanks in it.  Like, a lot of blanks.  However, a team of Russian and American chemists have managed to fill in one of those blanks, thanks to the discovery of ununseptium, or Element 117.  By smashing together calcium-48 and berkelium-249, the crew managed to make the highly unstable, radioactive Element 117 exist for a few seconds before fading away.  (This is why the LHC is such a big deal in the science world.)  Now it’s up to others to replicate the experiment, and prove Dawn Shaughnessy and her colleagues right.

It kind of sounds like a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it?  Element 117 would fit nicely alongside Code 46 and The Fifth Element in the pantheon of cool science fiction movie titles.  Imagine hearing this in a booming movie voice over:  “Coming this fall, Element 117 will shake you to the very core!  Starring Milla Jojovich and Samuel L. Jackson.  Rated R.”  I’d go see it!

Tags: new element discovered, Element 117, Ununseptium, Dawn Shaughnessy, periodic table, particle accelerator discovers new element, chemistry, weird science, particle accelerator

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