The Documentary Podcast The gift of science
Dec 25, 2025
Join physicists Jacqueline Gates and Jennifer Poore from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, along with author Kit Chapman. They delve into the intriguing world of super-heavy elements, discussing how they’re created and the fascinating challenges of detection. Jacqueline and Jennifer explain the complexities of ion acceleration and fusion attempts, while Kit offers a historical perspective on the geopolitical rivalries in element discovery. Together, they explore the scientific motivations and future implications of their groundbreaking work.
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How The Cyclotron Enables New Elements
- The cyclotron accelerates ions to about 10% the speed of light to overcome nuclear repulsion and enable fusion.
- Massive infrastructure and precise control let teams attempt creating super-heavy elements atom by atom.
Making Elements One Atom At A Time
- Super-heavy elements beyond naturally occurring ones must be manufactured by fusing lighter nuclei in accelerator experiments.
- Success is rare: producing one atom can take days or months of continuous beam time.
Fundamental Research Yields Practical Uses
- Discoveries of new elements have led to everyday technologies like smoke detectors and foundation density tests.
- Fundamental research often spawns unforeseen practical applications years later.