Found another use for gold: lining the engine bay of your
McLaren F1 Supercar. Gold, like all other elements in the
universe heavier than lithium, is created in stars, by the
process of nuclear fusion. However, the formation of different
elements varies according to their atomic number. Elements
lighter than iron are formed by "helium capture" fusion, where
nuclei capture a helium-4 nucleus and fuse with it into a
heavier elment. For example, a carbon-12 nucleus could collide
with helium-4 and produce oxygen-16 and energy. The iron nucleus
is more strongly bound than any other nucleus, and so there is
basically "no room" for the helium-4 to fuse with it. Elements
heavier than iron are formed by neutron capture, or s-process,
fusion. In this type of fusion, nuclei capture stray neutrons --
it is called s-process as it happens much slower than helium
capture. This process is responsible for all elements from iron
to bismuth, like gold. Elements heavier than bismuth are thought
to be formed in supernovae, when p