U.S.BONK-O-METER

Bonk-o-Meter: attosecond X-ray pulse record claim

“Phys.org says it could help scientists study electrons in atoms and molecules, and an attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second.” — Gloria Vance, on air

On air: Hank Ledger and Gloria Vance on The Bonk-o-Meter
Published 4:14 PM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026

Photo: NickSpiker · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger and Gloria Vance on this story, from The Bonk-o-Meter at 4:14 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Phys.org's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: NickSpiker · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: X-ray — Photo: NickSpiker · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by Phys.org: “World-record intensity in attosecond hard-X-ray pulses could unlock closer study of electrons in atoms and molecules”.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 4:14 PM ET on The Bonk-o-Meter, by Hank Ledger and Gloria Vance.
Topics: X-ray.
BBN covered this story before: World-Record Attosecond X-Ray Pulses Could Reveal Electron Dynamics (October 16).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

Phys.orgWorld-record intensity in attosecond hard-X-ray pulses could unlock closer study of electrons in atoms and molecules

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt's four-fifteen Eastern, this is The Bonk-o-Meter, where we check the claim and the meter decides. Today's claim: scientists hit world-record intensity in attosecond hard-X-ray pulses.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorPhys.org says it could help scientists study electrons in atoms and molecules, and an attosecond is a billionth of a billionth of a second.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorI have sat through coups longer than that.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo nobody in the lab actually saw the record happen.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThey saw the instruments afterward. Presence is real, but it is not a diet plan, and a flash is not a witness.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFair. The claim holds up and the physics is real, so I rate it Mildly Bonkers.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorThe needle is still moving, Hank.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt will arrive after we're gone. The Bonk-o-Meter is back Monday at four-fifteen Eastern, one-fifteen Pacific.

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