For the first time, astronomers have detected fluorine—which is found in human’s bones and teeth as fluoride—in a galaxy that is more than 12 billion light-years away.

A team of astronomers made the discovery using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope (ALMA) in Chile.

“We all know about fluorine because the toothpaste we use every day contains it in the form of fluoride,” said Maximilien Franco from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, who led the new study, published on Thursday in Nature Astronomy.

“Like most elements around us, fluorine is created inside stars but, until now, we did not know exactly how this element was produced. We did not even know which type of stars produced the majority of fluorine in the Universe!” he said in a statement.

Franco and his collaborators spotted fluorine (in the form of hydrogen fluoride) in the large clouds of gas of the distant galaxy NGP–190387.

Since stars expel the elements, they form in their cores as they reach the end of their lives, this detection implies that the stars that created fluorine must have lived and died quickly.

The team believes that Wolf–Rayet stars, very massive stars that live only a few million years, are the most likely production sites of fluorine.

They are needed to explain the amounts of hydrogen fluoride the team spotted, the astronomers say.

Wolf–Rayet stars had been suggested as possible sources of cosmic fluorine before, but astronomers did not know until now how important they were in producing this element in the early Universe.

“We have shown that Wolf–Rayet stars, which are among the most massive stars known and can explode violently as they reach the end of their lives, help us, in a way, to maintain good dental health!” Franco said.

(With inputs from agencies)

For the first time, astronomers have detected fluorine—which is found in human’s bones and teeth as fluoride—in a galaxy that is more than 12 billion light-years away.

For the first time, astronomers have detected fluorine—which is found in human’s bones and teeth as fluoride—in a galaxy that is more than 12 billion light-years away. A team of astronomers made the discovery using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array telescope (ALMA) in Chile. “We all know about fluorine because the toothpaste we use every day contains it in the form of fluoride,” said Maximilien Franco from the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, who led the new study, published on Thursday in Nature Astronomy. “Like most elements around us, fluorine is created inside stars but, until now, we did not know exactly how this element was produced. We did not even know which type of stars produced the majority of fluorine in the Universe!” he said in a statement. Franco and his collaborators spotted fluorine (in the form of hydrogen fluoride) in the large clouds of gas of the distant galaxy NGP–190387. Since stars expel the elements, they form in their cores as they reach the end of their lives, this detection implies that the stars that created fluorine must have lived and died quickly. The team believes that Wolf–Rayet stars, very massive stars that live only a few million years, are the most likely production sites of fluorine. They are needed to explain the amounts of hydrogen fluoride the team spotted, the astronomers say. Wolf–Rayet stars had been suggested as possible sources of cosmic fluorine before, but astronomers did not know until now how important they were in producing this element in the early Universe. “We have shown that Wolf–Rayet stars, which are among the most massive stars known and can explode violently as they reach the end of their lives, help us, in a way, to maintain good dental health!” Franco said. (With inputs from agencies)

For first time, element found in bones, teeth detected in galaxy 12 billion light years away

Astronomers have discovered that our teeth and a galaxy which is 12 billion light-years away have something in common.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) along with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has detected fluorine in a distant galaxy called NGP-190387.

This chemical element is also found in our teeth and bones in the form of fluoride.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earths-planetary-defence-nasa-unveils-spacecraft-that-targets-asteroids-426828" hreflang="en">Earth's 'planetary defence': NASA unveils spacecraft that targets asteroids</a>

The study, conducted by the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The discovery marks one of the first detections of fluorine beyond the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxies.

Earlier, it had been spotted in&nbsp;only distant quasars, bright objects powered by supermassive black holes at the centre of some galaxies

According to the study's author, Maximilien Franco, ''We did not even know which type of stars produced the majority of fluorine in the Universe!''

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/dragon-black-holes-that-defy-norms-of-physics-can-mess-with-your-future-426577" hreflang="en">'Dragon' black holes that defy norms of physics can mess with your future</a>

Models of the Big Bang at the birth of the universe almost 14 billion years ago allow astronomers to calculate quite accurately how much fluorine should be present.

''Our measurement adds a completely new constraint on the origin of fluorine, which has been studied for two decades,'' said study's co-author Chiaki Kobayashi.

Meanwhile, Chentao Yang from ESO said, ''ALMA is sensitive to radiation emitted by cold interstellar gas and dust. With the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), we will be able to observe NGP-190387 through the direct light of stars, gaining crucial information on the stellar content of this galaxy.''

Previously, scientists had discovered lithium in a type of stellar explosion known as a nova for the first time.

It helped clear up a longstanding mystery in astrophysics about the quantity of the element that has been observed in stars.

Astronomers have discovered that our teeth and a galaxy which is 12 billion light-years away have something in common. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) along with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has detected fluorine in a distant galaxy called NGP-190387.

Astronomers have discovered that our teeth and a galaxy which is 12 billion light-years away have something in common. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) along with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has detected fluorine in a distant galaxy called NGP-190387. This chemical element is also found in our teeth and bones in the form of fluoride. Also read | Earth's 'planetary defence': NASA unveils spacecraft that targets asteroids The study, conducted by the University of Hertfordshire in the UK, has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The discovery marks one of the first detections of fluorine beyond the Milky Way and its neighbouring galaxies. Earlier, it had been spotted in only distant quasars, bright objects powered by supermassive black holes at the centre of some galaxies According to the study's author, Maximilien Franco, ''We did not even know which type of stars produced the majority of fluorine in the Universe!'' Also read | 'Dragon' black holes that defy norms of physics can mess with your future Models of the Big Bang at the birth of the universe almost 14 billion years ago allow astronomers to calculate quite accurately how much fluorine should be present. ''Our measurement adds a completely new constraint on the origin of fluorine, which has been studied for two decades,'' said study's co-author Chiaki Kobayashi. Meanwhile, Chentao Yang from ESO said, ''ALMA is sensitive to radiation emitted by cold interstellar gas and dust. With the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), we will be able to observe NGP-190387 through the direct light of stars, gaining crucial information on the stellar content of this galaxy.'' Previously, scientists had discovered lithium in a type of stellar explosion known as a nova for the first time. It helped clear up a longstanding mystery in astrophysics about the quantity of the element that has been observed in stars.

This element is found in both our teeth and in a galaxy which is 12 billion light years away

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