December 10, 2025

The Search for New Elements | Jacklyn Gates at Berkeley Lab

53 minutes

On this episode of Giant Leap, the search for elements beyond the end of the periodic table. Taylor and Joey visit the Heavy Element group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to learn more about the search for new superheavy elements. At the 88-inch Cyclotron, we take an inside look at the race to create new artificial elements and understand their chemistry. We explore the history and future of the quest to expand the periodic table and explore the implications for humanity if we finally discover the long-sought island of stability. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

YouTube • Podcast • Website • Patreon

Featuring:

Jacklyn Gates: Group Leader, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Scott Small: Operator, 88-inch Cyclotron, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Jennifer Pore: Research Scientist, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Taylor Wilson: Nuclear Physicist, Host of Giant Leap

Joey Lovato: Journalist, Co-host Giant Leap

Giant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Keywords: Join us inside the legendary 88-Inch Cyclotron at Berkeley Lab as Giant Leap hosts Taylor Wilson and Joey Lovato explore the cutting-edge search for superheavy elements and the long-theorized island of stability. This episode reveals how researchers create brand-new elements atom-by-atom, the incredible engineering behind particle accelerators, how nuclear chemistry is pushing the periodic table into its eighth row, and why blue-sky science fuels breakthroughs in medicine, energy, and our understanding of the universe. From the history of plutonium discovery to the future quest for elements 119 and 120, this deep dive uncovers how tiny collisions inside a cyclotron may unlock entirely new forms of matter — and reshape the periodic table forever. superheavy elements, island of stability, Berkeley Lab, cyclotron, particle accelerator, nuclear chemistry, heavy element discovery, periodic table expansion, element 119, element 120, fusion reactions, nuclear physics, UC Berkeley, Glenn Seaborg, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, radioactive isotopes, atom smasher, gas-filled separator, Fiona spectrometer, blue sky science, nuclear research, ion beams, actinides, nuclear medicine, scientific discovery, new elements, atomic structure

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