In 1945, Hiroshima’s atomic blast vaporized metal, glass, soil and water; 81 years later, scientists studying the cooled material found strange glass spheres that may preserve a never-before-seen alloy

After decades of 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing, scientists studying tiny glass particles found around Hiroshima Bay have identified evidence of an unusual multicomponent alloy. Known as hiroshimaite, the particles formed after the explosion’s extreme heat vaporized surrounding materials before they rapidly cooled and condensed. Researchers examined 34 particles using advanced microscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, discovering an alloy containing iron, chromium, nickel, manganese, molybdenum...