University of North Dakota scientist Mark Hoffmann's version of Star Search goes a long way -- a very long way -- out into the universe.
Hoffmann, a computational chemist, and his colleagues Tryve Helgaker, a well-known Norwegian scientist, and co-authors E.I. Tellgren and K. Lange, also working in Norway, have discovered a molecular-level interaction that science had puzzled over for decades but had never seen.
That discovery, it turns out, may redefine how science views chemical compound formation. It also answers questions about what goes on in places like white dwarfs, the super dense cores of stars nearing the end of their life cycles.
"We discovered a new type of chemical bonding," said Hoffmann, known globally for his pioneering work in the theory and computer modeling of chemical compound formation.
"That's a pretty bold statement, but I'm not kidding you! It's a brand new type of chemical bonding, not previously known to science."
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