Our solar system is a cosmic highway, regularly hosting visitors from distant star systems. We have seen a few of these interstellar tourists before, like the bizarre 'Oumuamua and the more familiar 2I/Borisov. But the latest traveller to streak through our neighbourhood, a 'Manhattan-sized' object designated 3I/ATLAS, is not just passing through—it's forcing us to question the fundamental rules of chemistry.
For the first time in observational history, scientists have detected pure nickel gas venting from a comet, a chemical signature that baffles NASA and other space agencies because, until now, it was only associated with advanced industrial refining on Earth.
