Because no isotope of technetium has a half-life longer than 4.2 million years ( technetium-98 ) , its detection in 1952 in red giants , which are billions of years old , helped bolster the theory that stars can produce heavier elements .
No isotope of technetium has a half-life longer than 4.2 million years ( 98Tc ) . This means that its detection in red giants in 1952 helped support the theory that stars can produce heavier elements .