https://xkcd.com/2860

Alt text:

Unlike an Iron Age collapse, a Bronze Age collapse releases energy, since copper and tin are past the iron peak on the curve of binding energy.

9 points
5 points

The skull presumably represents the finality of such a decay, given that the end stage of human decay leaves behind a skeleton, something that does not exist in nucleons. [citation needed]

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11 points

Electron capture is neat and there is also :
Double electron capture
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_electron_capture

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2 points

holy shit electron capture 2

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12 points

I don’t know how many of those are legit and how many are humorous

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3 points

What do you mean? They’re all completely real

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6 points

First row is real. Second row, not so much.

That said, the “one big nucleon” is pretty close in concept to a neutron star. It needs a few more nucleons than there are in a single atom though. Just a few. And it’s not really a decay mode as it is a gravitational effect.

It’s also kind of reminiscent of superatoms - clusters of atoms that act like one single atom - but that is very much not the same. (The nuclei aren’t fused. They maintain regular, sensible, atomic distances. Electrons are free to pass between. etc.)

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1 point

Can you prove that the collapse due to the invasion of the sea people isn’t real? Until you can, I fully accept it as a real type of decay.

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