1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,320 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: Hey brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here. Element one fifteen is 3 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,720 Speaker 1: an enigma of sorts. It was only added to the 4 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: periodic table in yet for decades it has attracted attention 5 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: because of a supposed connection to extraterrestrial technology and alien 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: life forms. Intrigued, Before we answer whether there is a connection, 7 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 1: let's find out what element one fifteen really is. First off, 8 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:35,600 Speaker 1: as with all elements on the periodic table, the elements 9 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: number corresponds to the number of protons and the nucleus 10 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: of the elements atom always spoke by email with Jacqueline Gates, 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: a scientist with the Heavy Elements Group in the Nuclear 12 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:49,839 Speaker 1: Science Division for Berkeley Lab in California. She explained Element 13 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,520 Speaker 1: one fifteen, or moscovium, is a man made super heavy 14 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: element that has a hundred and fifteen protons in its nucleus. 15 00:00:57,240 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: That is twenty three more protons and the heaviest element 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 1: you can find in large quantities on Earth Uranium. Element 17 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,039 Speaker 1: one fifteen is an extremely rare element that's made one 18 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: atom at a time in particle accelerators. It exists for 19 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: just a fraction of a second before it decays into 20 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: another element. Gates said it's special because it's near a 21 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: predicted island of stability where some super heavy nuclei might 22 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,320 Speaker 1: have much longer lifetimes. Instead of living for less than 23 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: a second, they could exist for minutes, days, or even years. 24 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: That is long enough that we might be able to 25 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: use them for practical applications. Element one fifteen was discovered 26 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: in two thousand three in Russia at the Flora of 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: Laboratory for nuclear reactions. In the past fifty years, the 28 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: lab has discovered nine new elements, including the sixth most recent. 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: One fifteen was eventually named moscovium because laboratory is in Moscow. 30 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: To make this element, the scientists accelerated ions of calcium 31 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: forty eight to around ten per of the speed of 32 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: light and then bombarded American two forty three with them. 33 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:08,560 Speaker 1: Through this bombardment, they were able to successfully fuse the 34 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:14,359 Speaker 1: nuclei of these atoms, producing four atoms of moscovium. Gates explained, 35 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: to create a super heavy element, you need the complete 36 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: fusion of two lighter elements. Of The new element that 37 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: they made had a hundred and fifteen protons twenty from 38 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: the calcium forty eight and ninety five from the americum 39 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: to forty three. This new element was then separated from 40 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:32,000 Speaker 1: all the other reaction products using a gas filled recoil 41 00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 1: separator and then implanted into a detector where scientists were 42 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: able to watch element one fifteen decay into element one thirteen. 43 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: It took years for researchers to work out some of 44 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: the details about moscovia. It wasn't until twenty eighteen the 45 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:50,120 Speaker 1: Berkeley Lab scientists figured out that the element's mass or 46 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: atomic weight, that is, the total number of protons and 47 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 1: neutrons in the atom, was two eighty eight. To nab 48 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:00,799 Speaker 1: this vital number, they repeated the process that the first 49 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: discoverers used to pin down the element. In doing so, 50 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,639 Speaker 1: they managed to produce roughly one atom of muscovium per day, 51 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,520 Speaker 1: and that atom was captured by an instrument called FIONA, 52 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: an acronym meaning for the identification of nu glide a, 53 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: which to the untrained eye looks like a small metal 54 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: bank vault. So far, muscovium doesn't have a practical use 55 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: outside of scientific study, But what about that potential alien connection. 56 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: Element one fifteen was only discovered in two thousand three, 57 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: but it may sound familiar because the name has been 58 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: around for decades in connection with UFOs, aliens and other 59 00:03:40,480 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: related phenomena. We're referring to the long lived story of 60 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: Bob Scott Lazar, who went public with what he said 61 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: was top secret information about Element one fifteen. Lazar claimed 62 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: to be a former employee at Area fifty one, the 63 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: infamous and highly classified area of the Nevada Test and 64 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,240 Speaker 1: Training Range operated by the United States Air Force, where 65 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 1: he said his job was to reverse engineer crashed alien 66 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: flying saucers. He said that he had personally worked with 67 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:15,160 Speaker 1: Element one fifteen, which was used to pilot alien spacecraft. 68 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: Lazar said it was quote impossible to synthesize an element 69 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,040 Speaker 1: that heavy here on Earth. The substance has to come 70 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: from a place where super heavy elements could have been 71 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: produced naturally. Lazar claimed that he had seen evidence of 72 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:34,640 Speaker 1: anti gravity propulsion technologies and nine alien spacecraft stored in 73 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:39,280 Speaker 1: the hangar at Area fifty one. Those spaceships ostensibly used 74 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: some sort of propulsion system that harnessed the inherent power 75 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 1: of gravity and thus utilized the characteristics of Element one 76 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: fifteen to work their technological wizardry. The government does not 77 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:53,119 Speaker 1: confirm the employment of anyone who has worked at Area 78 00:04:53,160 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 1: fifty one, and, as some sources have pointed out, the 79 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: gist of his claims have never been thoroughly disproved. Yet 80 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:06,479 Speaker 1: there's still the fundamental science contradicting his claims. Gates said, no, 81 00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: there is no connection between this discovery and the claims 82 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:13,119 Speaker 1: of Bob Lazar. Presently, all the created atoms of element 83 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: one fifteen have decayed way too fast to be used 84 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 1: to fuel UFOs oh. We also spoke via email with 85 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell, who directed a documentary about Bob 86 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,239 Speaker 1: Lazar and who reached out to us after the article 87 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:30,520 Speaker 1: that this episode is based on was published. He said 88 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: Lazar made a point to explain that there's no reason 89 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 1: a version of element one fifteen couldn't be synthesized and 90 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,120 Speaker 1: observed at some point in the future. In fact, he 91 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: predicted that it would be just likely not in a 92 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: stabilized form because of the statistical and probability of landing 93 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:50,559 Speaker 1: on a relevant isotope. The isotope discovered in two thousand 94 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: three is not the isotope that would account for what 95 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: Lazar has described having had access to while working at 96 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: Area fifty one, and just like how gold has thirty 97 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: seven to an isotopes and only one isotope is stable, 98 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: one fifteen is suspected to have mostly rapid decay isotopes, 99 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:09,280 Speaker 1: So hopefully in the future we will land on a 100 00:06:09,400 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: version with a longer half life, even if it just 101 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,479 Speaker 1: ends up being a few atoms of it, weather LaVar 102 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,120 Speaker 1: is one fifteen winds up being an isotope of the 103 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: one fifteen discovered in two thousand three. For now, we're 104 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: left with some tangible but equally thrilling science. Muscovium is 105 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,919 Speaker 1: an amazing element. According to Gates, it's a sign that 106 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: we're pushing the boundaries of what we know about the universe. 107 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: She said element one fifteen is special and that we 108 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: can make it easier than some lighter elements like element 109 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: one twelve or element one thirteen, and typically as we 110 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: add more protons it becomes harder to make a new element. 111 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:49,720 Speaker 1: This trend is broken around element one fifteen. Due to this, 112 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,919 Speaker 1: we've been able to make over a hundred atoms of 113 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 1: element one fifteen and begin to understand its nuclear and 114 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: chemical properties. But we also spoke via email with Virginia Tremble, 115 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:03,320 Speaker 1: a physics and astronomy professor at the University of California, Irvine. 116 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,920 Speaker 1: She said, as discovery space advances into heavier and heavier 117 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: new glides, their properties provide stronger and stronger tests of 118 00:07:11,960 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: our basic physical understanding. They don't always decay in the 119 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: expected patterns, and where more than a few atoms can 120 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: be produced at once, they don't always have the chemical 121 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: properties that you would expect from their position in the 122 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: periodic table. Today's episode was written by Nathan Chandler and 123 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Clang. For more in this and lots 124 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: of other heavy topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 125 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more 126 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,320 Speaker 1: podcasts in my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 127 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.