Some of this natural plutonium is related to uranium. Some has been found in meteorite dust deposited in the seabed. So, plutonium-244 is the heaviest naturally occurring element that we know of.

Instead, the tremendous heat generated by the natural decay of plutonium-238—up to 475º F in the New Horizons probe—is converted to electricity in a radioisotopic thermal generator (RTG).

With the nation’s nuclear energy plants mostly quiet, Japan has little use for potentially dangerous plutonium stockpiles.

Given plutonium’s long half-life, we humans have permanently altered what once was our natural environment. We no longer live in an environment of purely natural background radiation.

The plutonium could also have come from nuclear fuel reprocessing at INEEL, or from a landfill at the lab where wastes from Colorado’s Rocky Flats weapons plant are stored.

MP Nishikant Dubey on Monday slammed the Congress party and questioned the role of a missing American nuclear device near the ...

Key findings: Japan’s nuclear industry has taken a beating in public opinion due to cost overruns, technical glitches and accidents like the Fukushima disaster three years ago next week. Despite this, ...

Highly toxic plutonium has seeped into the soil outside the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power complex in northeastern Japan, officials say. The amounts detected in two different soil ...

Crime Mass. man indicted on explosives charges, allegedly had plutonium and other hazardous substances in his home The Hadley man was indicted for possessing ammunition and explosive materials ...

Adding some glow-in-the-dark plutonium soap will definitely spice up the joint a little, though its use cases are probably somewhat limited.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nuclear waste and radioactive plutonium would be assessed as a fuel for reactors under a draft executive order being considered by the administration of President Donald ...

A production restart of plutonium-238 is already underway, say Department of Energy officials, so a looming shortage of this vital spacecraft fuel may be prevented.