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Marathon Fusion mercury-to-gold transmutation claims

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2026-10-26 21:23 UTC → 2026-10-30 15:11 UTC · added ~~removed~~

San Francisco-based startup Marathon Fusion has announced the successful conversion of mercury into stable gold using neutrons generated from nuclear fusion reactions. The company claims this method achieves a production rate approximately ten times higher than previous records held by CERN. The proposed process utilizes the isotope mercury-198, which interacts with energetic neutrons to create radioactive mercury-197, eventually decaying into stable gold-197. Marathon Fusion suggests that a future gigawatt-scale fusion power plant could potentially produce roughly two tonnes of gold annually as a byproduct of energy production. Despite the announcement, several technical and commercial challenges remain. The company has not yet provided independently verified data regarding total yield, purity, or production costs. Furthermore, the resulting material may contain radioactive isotopes, which could necessitate 14 to 18 years of controlled storage before the gold can be safely handled. The startup, which includes investment from mining giant Anglo American, focuses on developing fuel systems for future fusion power plants. Industry experts have noted that the technology is currently not at a stage of production significance. Analysts suggest that, unlike lab-grown diamonds which saw wholesale prices drop by 90% to 95% over the last decade, lab-grown gold cannot currently be mass-produced cheaply. While Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong suggested the development could favor Bitcoin due to its hard-capped supply, current processes produce only tiny amounts at a high cost, leaving global gold stockpiles largely unaffected.

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