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Six Atoms of Element 117 Produced

Posted by kdawson on from the that's-ununseptium-to-you dept.

mr crypto writes "A team of Russian and American scientists has produced six atoms of a new element, number 117, that has long stood as a missing link among the heaviest bits of atomic matter ever produced. The element, still nameless, appears to point the way toward a brew of still more massive elements with chemical properties no one can predict. The researchers say that the discovery bolsters the idea of an 'island of stability' among still heavier elements."

25 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. No name yet by tedgyz · · Score: 5, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, elements name you

    --
    "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai
    1. Re:No name yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Sovietrussianium? Sweet.

    2. Re:No name yet by Cryacin · · Score: 3, Funny

      Pure weapons grade Balonium.

      --
      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
    3. Re:No name yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      Anything is better than Unobtainium.

    4. Re:No name yet by OzPeter · · Score: 5, Funny

      What is the Russian word for 119 - there may be an interesting name there.

      Well I tried to enter it in cyrillic, but I can't bend /. to my will to get it to display. So I'll have to translate it back into English for you:

      One Hundred and(*) Nineteen

      * The "and" is optional and depends on you locale, so use caution before mocking me

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    5. Re:No name yet by Cryacin · · Score: 4, Funny

      Unaffordium then.

      --
      Science advances one funeral at a time- Max Planck
    6. Re:No name yet by ijakings · · Score: 4, Funny

      Id rather they just call it unobtainium. That way film writers will have to think of a new one.

    7. Re:No name yet by suomynonAyletamitlU · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only until the isotope, Walmartium, is discovered.

    8. Re:No name yet by JWSmythe · · Score: 4, Funny

          Nope, it's Unobtainium. **THEY** have the 6 atoms of it, not you or I. Go ahead, try to get a sample, I dare you.

          It's another instance of the man keeping us common folks down.

          At least they didn't make a black hole with it this time. Just think about it. What's a black hole? It's a super dense object, which attracts objects towards it, which in turn are crushed under it's gravitational attraction, adding to it's mass in an unstoppable chain reaction. All it takes is one atom, and poof, we're all screwed. And they're trying for heavier and heavier atoms. It's the damned Reds. I tell you, they're looking to destroy the world! They're going to do it, and this time we're helping them! It's the Reds and the Republicans! They're going to kill us all! KILL US ALL I TELL YOU!

          This time even your tinfoil hat won't help! There's no escape! There's only one thing to do. Send me all of your worldly possessions, and pray to god that there is a god, and your soul can escape!

         

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    9. Re:No name yet by paeanblack · · Score: 5, Funny

      In Soviet Russia the government decides how many atoms to make

      In the United States, the many Adams decided how to make the government

    10. Re:No name yet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Go ahead, try to get a sample, I dare you.

      I have a bunch of the stuff right here!
      They're only slightly used, however, and some of the elementary particles appear to have fallen off, but I can provide replacements as long as you are willing to do the work of putting them back together.

      They can be yours, for FREE, just ACT NOW! (S&H $19.99 US only)

      And if you order in the next 10 minutes, I'll throw in a second do-it-yourself kit, which contains 100 (unassembled) atoms for FREE!

    11. Re:No name yet by Whalou · · Score: 4, Funny

      My vote is for Mattdamium

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      English is not this .sig mother tongue...
    12. Re:No name yet by spartacus_prime · · Score: 2, Funny

      What's a black hole? It's a super dense object, which attracts objects towards it, which in turn are crushed under it's gravitational attraction, adding to it's mass in an unstoppable chain reaction. All it takes is one atom, and poof, we're all screwed.

      Much like your mother.

      --
      If you can read this, it means that I bothered to log in.
  2. still more... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "still more massive elements with chemical properties no one can predict."

    I bet one of them will look great on the tiara for Mrs. Universe pageants.

    1. Re:still more... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'll bet a pound of this stuff weighs a million pounds.

    2. Re:still more... by JWSmythe · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dude.

          #1) This is why your still single.
          and
          #2) The obligatory xkcd to explain it to you.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    3. Re:still more... by lennier · · Score: 3, Funny

      How dare you, sir! Blue catgirls on flying dinosaurs fighting Nick Fury's Helicarrier and a squadron of Space Marines is very serious business indeed!

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      You are not a brain: http://books.google.com/books?id=2oV61CeDx-YC
    4. Re:still more... by sapphire+wyvern · · Score: 2, Funny

      Nick Fury? I thought they'd cast Duke Nukem, myself. I hear he's looking for work, after all...

  3. Maybe... by actionbastard · · Score: 4, Funny

    Jumbonium?

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    Sig this!
    1. Re:Maybe... by Slur · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'm going to have to vote for Bradium because The Brady Bunch ran for 117 episodes. Moreover, they've made 6 actual particles, so they knew that it was much more than a hunch ... that this group would somehow form a family ...

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      -- thinkyhead software and media
  4. Repeatable? by Wiscocrew · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pics or it didn't happen, scientists.

  5. Re:Island of stability by PPH · · Score: 3, Funny

    TFA's statement about these elements lasting days or years is wildly optimistic.

    Still, Tiger Woods might be able to have a wedding ring made of it.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  6. Re:Chemical properties by Chris+Burke · · Score: 1, Funny

    No stupid it's more complicated than that, that's why lead doesn't act like carbon. DER DUH DER.

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    The enemies of Democracy are
  7. Re:Chemical properties by JWSmythe · · Score: 4, Funny

    Except for the fact that it's wildly hallucinogenic. That's why it took a few months for them to report it. What didn't officially come out was this:

      "We were all tripping so hard, somehow we ended up naked, running around in the lab apparently for like two days. No one remembers a thing, but the technicians that found us said we were laughing our asses off and talking to non-existent creatures in the room."

        It's always embarrassing when something like that comes out.

    --
    Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  8. Names by Dirtside · · Score: 5, Funny

    Name ideas:

    - Yetanotherium
    - Unremarkablum
    - Irrelevantium
    - Onehundredseventeenium
    - Instantlydecaysium

    --
    "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased