Copernicium is a superheavy and extremely radioactive synthetic element. It is so unstable that scientists can’t study it directly and can only theorize about its properties. It was first synthesized by colliding zinc ions with lead ions in a particle accelerator. The element’s most stable isotope has a half-life of just under a second, meaning that half of any sample of Copernicium would decay into other elements in less than a second. It has no known uses outside of basic research.