Radioactive californium-252 is a prolific neutron emitter, making it useful for examining jet engine parts for defects, finding underground oil and gas reservoirs, bombarding certain tumors, and ...

At today’s prices, one gramme of californium-252 can be valued at around $27 million, a figure that can exceed the value of roughly 200 kg of gold depending on where gold is trading. That headline ...

This element is one of many first made at UC Berkeley in the 1950s. Unlike most manufactured elements, though, this one is actually useful. This is how it starts up nuclear reactions. Researchers ...

Forget gold and diamonds. Right now the most expensive material available for industrial use is a synthetic metal most people have never heard of, called californium 252. Industry estimates put its ...