The First Atomic Bomb Test in 1945 Created an Entirely New Material

The discovery from the Trinity nuclear test site shows how extreme conditions can result in materials never before seen in nature or in the lab. The new material is a clathrate made of calcium, copper, and silicon . During the Trinity nuclear test on July 16, 1945, in the New Mexico desert--the world's very first test of an atomic bomb --a new material spontaneously formed. It was discovered only recently, by an international research team coordinated by geologist Luca Bindi at the University of Florence, which identified the novel clathrate based on calcium, copper, and silicon. It's a material never before observed either in nature or as an artificial compound created in the laboratory.