Startup Claims to Have Transmuted Mercury Into Gold Using Nuclear Fusion

WHY IT MATTERS

Gold has been considered valuable for thousands of years largely because it is rare and difficult to mine. Think of it like a limited-edition collectible — part of its value comes from the fact that there is only so much of it. If someone found a way to manufacture gold cheaply, it could undermine that scarcity, much like how counterfeiting money reduces the value of real currency. This matters to crypto because Bitcoin is often called 'digital gold.' One of Bitcoin's key features is that its total supply is permanently capped at 21 million coins — no one can create more, no matter what technology exists. If lab-made gold were ever to become practical, it could highlight a difference between gold and Bitcoin: gold's scarcity depends on nature and technology, while Bitcoin's scarcity is enforced by its code. That said, the startup's claims are unverified, and turning elements into gold has historically been impractical despite being theoretically possible.