ANAHEIM, Calif. — The wreckage of some of the universe's most violent explosions has crept closer than you might think; in fact, you may have taken a swim in it during your last dip in the ocean.
By analyzing samples from the deep sea, researchers have found a unique variety of radioactive plutonium that appears to be debris from a rare breed of cosmic explosion called a kilonova, which likely detonated near Earth some 10 million years ago. But proving this explosion's existence will require more evidence, and the researchers think they know where to find it: on the surface of the moon.
