The atomic bombing of Hiroshima created a completely new material never before seen on Earth, scientists have discovered. Using high–powered electron microscopes, chemical analysis and single–crystal X–ray diffraction, they searched the microscopic debris for unusual materials created during the 1945 atomic bomb blast. One metallic grain measuring just a few micrometres across stood out because its chemical composition and crystal structure did not match any previously known alloy. The team then compared its atomic arrangement with thousands of known materials to confirm it represented a previously undiscovered metal that formed inside the nuclear fireball. The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was codenamed 'Little Boy' and was the first nuclear weapon ever used in warfare.