New tech uses isomeric beams to study how and where the galaxy makes one of its most common elements

Our galaxy produces and destroys the element aluminum-26 in the process of making magnesium-26. As it forms, it can be momentarily "stuck" in a mirror-image (isomeric) state. Getting stuck lets other reactions occur that destroy the element. Measuring how much aluminum-26 the galaxy makes is tough because scientists have to know how much is destroyed. For the first time, scientists produced an aluminum-26 beam in an isomeric state. They used the beam to determine how fast aluminum-26 is destroye...