Oxygen is often seen as a symbol of life, but its role deserves closer examination. Why do so many living beings depend on it ...

White dwarfs typically have hydrogen and helium in their atmospheres, and heavier elements like oxygen, neon, and magnesium are found in a pool of these light elements. Also, stars that have these ...

For the first time ever, researchers have spotted a white dwarf surrounded by an ... because they’re relatively light; the heavier elements, like oxygen and carbon, remain below.

Heavy elements such as carbon and oxygen sink to the core’s center while hydrogen and helium float to the surface. But a newly discovered white dwarf, about 1,200 light-years away in the ...