Not Your Father's Periodic Table

grahamkg writes "Science Daily has an article about a new periodic table of elements oriented toward cosmology. A PDF of the actual table can be found here."

Comments

As the old joke goes....

[Asprin]

The astronomer's periodic table:

1 Hydrogen
2 Helium
Metals

True Cosmologists Table

[G4from128k]

Although very interesting, this color-coded table does not speak to the cosmological origins of each elemental species. For a truer cosmological table I would expect a more radical rearrangement of the table into a tree or mesh based on the fusion and other nuclear reactions that spawn the elements from the primordial mix of the early universe.

Elements lighter than iron would probably sit on a nice tree associated with the hydrogen, helium, carbon, etc. fusion cycles. Heavier stuff would be in some type of mesh of fusion and decay reactions that occur in supernovae.

Such a cosmological orgins table might get a bit messy as each different isotope might be the product of multiple reaction/decay pathways. Maybe a 3-D visualization tool could help present the data in all its glory.

I agree with that earlier post

[Squiffy]

I think my father would recognize that table.

I prefer this one.

Re:Why isn't this on the front page? (OT)

[Cy Guy]

Something actually useful on ./, except its hidden away in the science section instead of the front page.

Go to your Homepage preferences and put a check in the box "Collapse Sections (show stories from all sections, unless specifically excluded)"

If you only want 'regular' front page stories and Science stories, then click the Section boxes to specifically exclude BSD, Games, Apple, etc.