Why do some elements decay in minutes, while others last billions of years? Certain "magic numbers" of nuclear particles may ...

The word magic is not often used in the context of science. But in the early 1930s, scientists discovered that some atomic nuclei—the center part of atoms, which make up all matter—were more stable ...

With five more protons than should be stable, the newly discovered nitrogen-9 isotope sits right on the borderline of physical possibility. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

A “magic number” of physics might not be so magic after all. Using a powerful particle accelerator, researchers have spotted an elusive variant of oxygen for the first time. The isotope, oxygen-28, ...

Artemis Spyrou receives funding from the US National Science Foundation. Sean Liddick receives funding from the Department of Energy, Office of Science and the Department of Energy, National Nuclear ...