The discovery of a metal-rich star packed with both light and heavy elements hints at exotic stellar explosions and the role of ancient dwarf galaxies in seeding the cosmos with uranium and thorium.

However, there are ways to use thorium to create fissile materials suitable for fuel. Thorium-232 is the only naturally occurring thorium isotope, but it is fissionable rather than fissile.

Thorium, an abundant and ... "Because of its abundance and its fissile material breeding capability, thorium could potentially offer a long-term solution to humanity's energy needs," Agarwal added.

“Because of its abundance and its fissile material breeding capability, thorium could potentially offer a long-term solution to humanity’s energy needs,” Agarwal said. Another advantage is that ...

There are several economic and technical obstacles that make the deployment of thorium challenging. Despite its abundance, the metal is currently expensive to extract. “The mineral monazite, which is ...

Therefore, the abundance of thorium on the surface can act as a proxy for water. Get the Space.com Newsletter Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

“Because of its abundance and its fissile material breeding capability, thorium could potentially offer a long-term solution to humanity’s energy needs,” Kailash Agarwal, a Nuclear Fuel ...