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Trihydrogen, or H3+, has been called the molecule that made the universe, where it plays a greater role in astrochemistry than any other molecule. Although H3+ is astronomically abundant, no scientist understood the mechanisms that form it from organic molecules, until now. Using lasers, scientists have unlocked the secret in a basement laboratory, where they essentially duplicated the mechanism that’s found from the center of the galaxy to Earth’s own ionosphere.
Image credit: Michigan State University
