What element has the symbol 'Ds'?

The story behind the answer

Ds stands for Darmstadtium, element 110. It’s not Dysprosium (Dy) or Dubnium (Db), and “Darmestadium” is a common misspelling—its IUPAC-approved name is Darmstadtium. This superheavy, synthetic element exists only for fractions of a second, so it has no practical uses; it’s studied to understand nuclear stability and the behavior of elements at the edge of the periodic table.

Named after Darmstadt, Germany, where it was first synthesized in 1994 at the GSI Helmholtz Centre, Darmstadtium commemorates its birthplace. Memory tip: “Ds = DarmStadt,” the S cues the “Stadt.” Meanwhile, Dysprosium keeps its Y (Dy), and Dubnium includes a B (Db).