Origins of the elements

In a January 2, 2017 column, Aileen O’Donoghue wrote of the detection of the kilonova by both gravitational and electromagnetic waves in August of 2017. The detections, themselves, were remarkable and ushered in the completely new era of Multi Messenger Astronomy. But the data from the event also gave evidence confirming the origins of very heavy elements such as gold and platinum. Read more.