Since the Big Bang, the early Universe had hydrogen, helium, and a scant amount of lithium. Later, some heavier elements, including iron, were forged in stars. But one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics is: How did the first elements heavier than iron, such as gold, get created and distributed throughout the Universe? In new research, astronomers from Columbia University and elsewhere calculated that a single flare from a magnetar can produce...
