On Saturday, Jan. 3, Samson Mow sparked a new debate across the crypto ecosystem, declaring a clear distinction about Bitcoin’s scarcity in contrast to that of gold, which may soon become flexible.
According to the pro-Bitcoin advocate, Bitcoin’s scarcity remains stable at the mathematically fixed supply of 21 million coins, and nothing can be transmuted into Bitcoin.
“Gold alchemy” from Fusion threatens scarcity
Mow’s assertion on Bitcoin’s stable scarcity came after scientists at Marathon Fusion declared a successful discovery of a scalable method to transmute mercury into gold.
According to the researchers, future fusion power plants will be able to use mercury to produce roughly two metric tons of gold per gigawatt of thermal energy each year.
They further stressed that the newly discovered gold production system does not reduce electricity output, and could double the overall revenue of fusion plants.
Over the years, gold’s value is believed to be majorly dependent on its natural scarcity and difficulty of extraction, however, this may not be the case for long.
Once the research becomes implemented, gold’s scarcity will become flexible as it could be engineered rather than geological. As such, this could make the physical asset become less valuable compared to Bitcoin, which is a digital asset.
In response to this research, Samson Mow triggered the long-standing debate on Bitcoin versus gold in terms of value and scarcity.
Following his statement, the crypto community acknowledged that Bitcoin’s supply is hard-capped at 21 million coins, and its digital nature makes it impossible to replicate. This is unlike gold, whose supply could soon be expanded by breakthroughs in nuclear science.
Although Bitcoin can be mined, it stands within its fixed supply of 21 million tokens, hence no discovery, no laboratory, no technological advancement can change its limit.
Other commentators stressed that Bitcoin is enforced by mathematics and global network consensus, not by geology or chemistry.
Disclaimer: The information on this page may come from third parties and does not represent the views or opinions of Gate. The content displayed on this page is for reference only and does not constitute any financial, investment, or legal advice. Gate does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information and shall not be liable for any losses arising from the use of this information. Virtual asset investments carry high risks and are subject to significant price volatility. You may lose all of your invested principal. Please fully understand the relevant risks and make prudent decisions based on your own financial situation and risk tolerance. For details, please refer to
Disclaimer.
Related Articles
In the past hour, the entire network has liquidated $90.08 million, and crude oil futures contracts have liquidated $29.2 million.
Gate News Report, March 9th, Coinglass data shows that in the past hour, the total liquidation across the entire network reached $90,084,300, with long positions liquidated at $43,935,600 and short positions at $46,148,700. By asset type, XYZ:CL (Crude Oil Futures Contract) liquidation was $29.2 million, and BTC liquidation was $22.12 million.
GateNews18m ago
Bitcoin Price Bounces, But Bears Are Still in Control: Analysis
In brief
Bitcoin is up 4.78% today trading at $69,128.
Last week's apparent triangle breakout closed as a massive bullish wick — a classic false breakout signal.
On Myriad, prediction market traders are split among bulls and bears, with no clear consensus on which way the squeeze
Decrypt38m ago
BTC 15-minute increase of 1.42%: On-chain capital inflow and technical breakout points resonate to trigger buying interest
From 19:15 to 19:30 on March 9, 2026 (UTC), the BTC price experienced a 15-minute return of +1.42%, with trading ranges between 68,377.3 and 69,365.3 USDT, and a volatility of 1.44%. This fluctuation far exceeds the regular intraday volatility levels, with market attention significantly heightened, and short-term buying surges intensifying the volatility.
The main driver of this movement was net inflow of on-chain funds, triggered by large transfers from major holder accounts, along with buy orders breaking through key technical resistance levels.
GateNews47m ago
Bitcoin Leads $619M Weekly Inflows Amid Geopolitical Jitters and Oil-Driven Pullback
The digital asset market showed a strange kind of calm last week, not reckless, not euphoric, just strangely stubborn. According to CoinShares, investment products tied to cryptocurrencies pulled in a net US$619 million, a sign that, even amid geopolitical jitters tied to Iran, a meaningful chunk of
BlockChainReporter1h ago
