Our planet’s gold arrived via colliding dead stars

Researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics claim that a large amount of Earth’s gold came from gamma-ray bursts (GRB), energetic explosions caused by the collision of two neutron stars.

Lead author Edo Berger estimates that the “amount of gold produced and ejected during the merger of the two neutron stars may be as large as 10 moon masses – quite a lot of bling!”

The breakthrough came when members of the team realized that the unique glow that persists after certain GRB “signifies the creation of substantial amounts of heavy elements – including gold.”

To read the press release of the study, click here.

Access the research paper directly here.