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OXYGEN on a planet might be a sign of life, but in two odd white dwarf stars it could indicate a narrow escape from violent death. They could help pin down the point at which stars go supernova.
A group led by Boris GĂ€nsicke at the University of Warwick, UK, found two white dwarfs that hold far more oxygen than carbon, which is unusual. “It’s extreme â these things look very different from any white dwarfs we’ve seen before,” says team member Danny Steeghs.
Creating so much oxygen takes a fiercer nuclear…
