New Chemical Reaction May Explain Star Formation, Evolution, Death

New Chemical Reaction May Explain Star Formation, Evolution, Death

University of North Dakota scientist Mark Hoffmann’s version of Star Search goes a long way — a very long way — out into the universe. Hoffmann and his Norwegian colleagues Tryve Helgaker, E.I. Tellgren and K. Lange have discovered a molecular-level interaction that science had puzzled over for decades but had never seen.

That discovery, it turns out, may redefine how science views chemical compound formation. It also answers questions about what goes on in places like white dwarfs, the super dense cores of stars nearing the end of their life cycles. Their work is published in the journal Science.