Do neutron star collisions make all the gold in the universe?

Gold, platinum, and other heavy elements are forged in extreme cosmic events, but whether neutron star mergers alone are responsible remains contested. By correlating the count of merger gravitational-wave signals from Cosmic Explorer and Einstein Telescope with measured heavy-element abundances across cosmic time, this method could determine neutron star mergers' fractional contribution to within 5–6% precision — finally giving a definitive answer to one of astrophysics' longest-standing elemental mystery.