Eighty years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing, one of history’s darkest moments is revealing a startling scientific secret.Researchers say the devastating blast has created a completely new kind of metal, something never seen before.&nbsp;&nbsp;A new study published in Science Advances has identified a previously unknown silicon-rich alloy that appears to have formed during the Hiroshima explosion.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scientists say the alloy contains a unique mix of iron, nickel, silicon, aluminum, and several other metallic elements, making it a rare multi-component crystalline material.&nbsp;Here’s how it happened.&nbsp;&nbsp;

When the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, it generated a fireball hotter than 7,000 degrees Celsius.The intense heat vaporised buildings, soil, glass, metal and water, turning the city into a massive cloud of plasma. According to scientists, as the fireball cooled, tiny molten metal droplets known as ‘Hiroshimaites’ fell across the city. Inside one of these microscopic particles, researchers discovered the extraordinary alloy. Instead of simply melting existing materials, the nuclear blast actually forged an entirely new, highly ordered crystal structure. Scientists say such alloys could possess exceptional strength, heat resistance and durability, offering valuable and rare insights into advanced materials science. The researchers say that studying these rare remnants could deepen our understanding of both the Hiroshima tragedy and the extreme chemical processes that only the most powerful events on earth can create.

When the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, it generated a fireball hotter than 7,000 degrees Celsius. The intense heat vaporised buildings, soil, glass, metal, and water, turning the city into a massive cloud of plasma. As the fireball cooled, tiny molten metal droplets fell.

Eighty years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing, one of history’s darkest moments is revealing a startling scientific secret. Researchers say the devastating blast has created a completely new kind of metal, something never seen before. A new study published in Science Advances has identified a previously unknown silicon-rich alloy that appears to have formed during the Hiroshima explosion. Scientists say the alloy contains a unique mix of iron, nickel, silicon, aluminum, and several other metallic elements, making it a rare multi-component crystalline material. Here’s how it happened.

When the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, it generated a fireball hotter than 7,000 degrees Celsius. The intense heat vaporised buildings, soil, glass, metal, and water, turning the city into a massive cloud of plasma. As the fireball cooled, tiny molten metal droplets fell.

Bizarre new material discovered in Hiroshima nuclear bombing debris | Gravitas

To drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the US military heavily modified the B-29 'Enola Gay' under Project Silverplate. Engineers stripped its armour, upgraded the bomb bay, and created a dedicated station to manually arm the weapon mid-flight.


To drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the US military heavily modified the B-29 'Enola Gay' under Project Silverplate. Engineers stripped its armour, upgraded the bomb bay, and created a dedicated station to manually arm the weapon mid-flight.

‘Stripped and modified’: Why the US military removed the weapons from its Hiroshima nuclear bomber

Five reasons why the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan by the US to end World War II should remind us of the dangers of nuclear war. A recall of the bombing's aftermath on Hiroshima Day

Five reasons why the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan by the US to end World War II should remind us of the dangers of nuclear war. A recall of the bombing's aftermath on Hiroshima Day

Blast from the past: 5 reasons why Hiroshima bombing aftermath is a stark reminder for today's trigger-happy world leaders on nuclear war dangers

Japan marked 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday with a ceremony reminding the world of the horrors unleashed, as sabre-rattling between the United States and Russia keeps the nuclear "Doomsday Clock" close to midnight.A silent prayer was held at 8:15 am (2315 GMT), the moment when US aircraft Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" over the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945.On a sweltering morning, hundreds of black-clad officials, students and survivors laid flowers at the memorial cenotaph, with the ruins of a domed building in the background, a stark reminder of the horrors that unfolded.In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East."These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said."They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct."The final death toll of the Hiroshima attack would hit around 140,000 people, killed not just by the colossal blast and the ball of fire, but also later by the radiation.Three days after "Little Boy", on August 9, another atomic bomb killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing an end to World War II.Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million but the attacks live on in the memories of many.On the eve of the ceremony, people began lining up to pay their respects to the victims in front of the cenotaph.Before dawn on Wednesday, families who had lost loved ones in the attack also came to pray.Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who came in a wheelchair with her grandson, told reporters that her parents and grandparents were bomb victims."My grandfather died soon after the bombing, while my father and mother both died after developing cancer. My parents-in-law also died, so my husband couldn't see them again when he came back from battlefields after the war."People are still suffering," she added.Wednesday's ceremony was set to include a record of around 120 countries and regions including, for the first time, Taiwanese and Palestinian representatives.Nihon Hidankyo, the grassroots organisation that last year won the Nobel Peace Prize, is representing the dwindling number of survivors, known as hibakusha.As of March, there were 99,130 hibakusha, according to the Japanese health ministry, with the average age of 86."I want foreign envoys to visit the peace memorial museum and understand what happened," the group's co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki told local media ahead of the commemorations.Pope Leo XIV said in a statement that "in our time of mounting global tensions and conflicts", Hiroshima and Nagasaki remained "living reminders of the profound horrors wrought by nuclear weapons". - Younger generation -The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime.Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, who survived the blasts as a baby, told AFP he was hopeful that there could eventually be a nuclear-free world."The younger generation is working hard for that end," he said ahead of the ceremony.But in January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" shifted to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest in its 78-year history.The clock symbolising humanity's distance from destruction was last moved to 90 seconds to midnight over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Russia and the United States account for around 90 percent of the world's over 12,000 warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).SIPRI warned in June that "a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened," with nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states modernising their arsenals.Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines following an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.Last month, Matsui urged Trump to visit Hiroshima after the US president likened the 1945 atomic bombings to air strikes on Iran in June."It seems to me that he does not fully understand the reality of the atomic bombings, which, if used, take the lives of many innocent citizens, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and threaten the survival of the human race," Matsui said at the time.Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East.

Japan marked 80 years since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Wednesday with a ceremony reminding the world of the horrors unleashed, as sabre-rattling between the United States and Russia keeps the nuclear "Doomsday Clock" close to midnight. A silent prayer was held at 8:15 am (2315 GMT), the moment when US aircraft Enola Gay dropped "Little Boy" over the western Japanese city on August 6, 1945. On a sweltering morning, hundreds of black-clad officials, students and survivors laid flowers at the memorial cenotaph, with the ruins of a domed building in the background, a stark reminder of the horrors that unfolded. In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East. "These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said. "They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct." The final death toll of the Hiroshima attack would hit around 140,000 people, killed not just by the colossal blast and the ball of fire, but also later by the radiation. Three days after "Little Boy", on August 9, another atomic bomb killed 74,000 people in Nagasaki. Imperial Japan surrendered on August 15, bringing an end to World War II. Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million but the attacks live on in the memories of many. On the eve of the ceremony, people began lining up to pay their respects to the victims in front of the cenotaph. Before dawn on Wednesday, families who had lost loved ones in the attack also came to pray. Yoshie Yokoyama, 96, who came in a wheelchair with her grandson, told reporters that her parents and grandparents were bomb victims. "My grandfather died soon after the bombing, while my father and mother both died after developing cancer. My parents-in-law also died, so my husband couldn't see them again when he came back from battlefields after the war. "People are still suffering," she added. Wednesday's ceremony was set to include a record of around 120 countries and regions including, for the first time, Taiwanese and Palestinian representatives. Nihon Hidankyo, the grassroots organisation that last year won the Nobel Peace Prize, is representing the dwindling number of survivors, known as hibakusha. As of March, there were 99,130 hibakusha, according to the Japanese health ministry, with the average age of 86. "I want foreign envoys to visit the peace memorial museum and understand what happened," the group's co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki told local media ahead of the commemorations. Pope Leo XIV said in a statement that "in our time of mounting global tensions and conflicts", Hiroshima and Nagasaki remained "living reminders of the profound horrors wrought by nuclear weapons". - Younger generation - The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime. Kunihiko Sakuma, 80, who survived the blasts as a baby, told AFP he was hopeful that there could eventually be a nuclear-free world. "The younger generation is working hard for that end," he said ahead of the ceremony. But in January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' "Doomsday Clock" shifted to 89 seconds to midnight, the closest in its 78-year history. The clock symbolising humanity's distance from destruction was last moved to 90 seconds to midnight over Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia and the United States account for around 90 percent of the world's over 12,000 warheads, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). SIPRI warned in June that "a dangerous new nuclear arms race is emerging at a time when arms control regimes are severely weakened," with nearly all of the nine nuclear-armed states modernising their arsenals. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the deployment of two nuclear submarines following an online spat with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev. Last month, Matsui urged Trump to visit Hiroshima after the US president likened the 1945 atomic bombings to air strikes on Iran in June. "It seems to me that he does not fully understand the reality of the atomic bombings, which, if used, take the lives of many innocent citizens, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, and threaten the survival of the human race," Matsui said at the time. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

In a speech, Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui warned of "an accelerating trend toward military buildup around the world", against the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the chaos in the Middle East.

Hiroshima 80 years on: Japan warns world edging closer to nuclear war

Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to remember the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan, 1945. The attack led to many deaths and left many survivors(Hibakusha), suffering from the lasting effects of radiation.

Hiroshima Day is observed every year on August 6 to remember the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in Japan, 1945. The attack led to many deaths and left many survivors (Hibakusha) suffering from the lasting effects of radiation.

Hiroshima Day 2025: What’s the history and significance of the ‘catastrophic moment’ in World War II

While celebrated for its technological achievements, the B-29’s legacy is inextricably linked to the enormous human toll of nuclear warfare. 

While celebrated for its technological achievements, the B-29’s legacy is inextricably linked to the enormous human toll of nuclear warfare.

This American bomber jet was used to drop nuclear bombs on Japan! Where is it now?

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Where is the American bomber jet that was used to drop nuclear bombs on Japan?