Tag Archives: Heavy metals

White dwarfs are ‘heavy metal’ zombie stars that endlessly cannibalize dead planetary systems

Astronomers may have finally solved the mystery of how extremely dense dead stars called white dwarfs keep their heavy metal shells fresh by cannibalizing what’s left of their planetary systems. Our Sun will turn into a white dwarf in about five billion years after exhausting the hydrogen that fuels nuclear fusion in its core. So… Read More »

California wildfires may be converting natural metals into cancer-causing compounds

Wildfires in some parts of the western United States may be converting a benign form of chromium into its cancer-causing counterpart, according to a new study; This could potentially endanger first responders and surrounding communities. The research, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, detected high levels of the hazardous metal hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6,… Read More »