Several centuries ago, a branch of alchemy called chrysopoeia is said to have explored the possibilities of transforming widely available base metals into precious metals. Early practitioners never managed to pull it off, but it appears that in studying the conditions that emerged just after the Big Bang using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), scientists have turned lead into gold – for just fractions of a second.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://newatlas.com/physics/lead-gold-lhc-alice-cern/


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  • @[email protected]
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    134 days ago

    When you see the placeholder graphics just before the real ones load in.

    It’s like the whole universe is the slit experiment on the grandest scale.

    Observed object: “I am lead.”

    Unobserved object: “I am all things.”

    Observed object: “Back to lead.”

    “The entire universe in an instant.”

    “Back to lead.”

    “The beginning and the end!”

    “Lead.”

    “Alpha and omega!!”

    “Gold. OH SHIT, I mean… lead.”

  • @[email protected]
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    74 days ago

    I guess it’s the old “bombard it with protons” or something, up it will pop a level but now it’s radioactive like ever.

  • @[email protected]
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    4 days ago

    If they ever manage to turn lead to gold permanently, then it will put gold mines out of business. Gold prices will go down if they over produce, especially if its cheap to convert lead to gold.