For centuries alchemists were on a long-lasting, forever-elusive quest to turn lead into gold and unlock the mysteries of eternal life. Many of them linked the notion of alchemy with magic and mysticism, which to the modern reader would appear unsound.
However, physicists today are pursuing a similar line of thought - they are determined to turn one element into another one. Should they succeed, they will bring humanity a step closer to understanding the ways in which matter in the universe behaves.
Kosuke Morita, a nuclear physicist at Japan’s Kyushu University, is trying to find element 119. His and his team’s idea is to synthesise a new element by smashing two atoms to make a bigger one. However the chances for managing to achieve this are close to none.
