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As a proof of principle, Cederwall and colleagues focused on detection of californium-252, a readily available radioisotope widely used as a proxy for weapons-grade plutonium.

But the chase for 120 is on hold until researchers obtain the amount of californium—a rare element produced in high-flux nuclear reactors—needed for 120’s target.

Worse, the sample that the Berkeley researchers received was heavily contaminated with einsteinium’s periodic table neighbor, californium.

From copper to californium, we discover how the sober face of the periodic table hides dramatic backstories.

In March 2018, investigators seized what they thought was 1.4 kilograms of californium, but that find actually turned out to be a natural substance with no radioactivity.