Hiroshimaite. Shortly before the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in August, researchers revealed how the high-energy explosion created a new type of alloy that has been found in a fragment of ‘hiroshimaite’ rock, a term for fallout debris. The alloy, imaged here with a scanning electron microscope and described in Science Advances, is made from seven elements.

The nuclear detonation produced temperatures higher than 1,800 °C, and researchers say this provided a natural laboratory for the creation of new multicomponent alloys. These often have properties that are difficult to achieve with normal alloys — such as high strength and ductility.

Luca Bindi et al./Sci. Adv.