Scientists Explain Plutonium’s Lack Of Magnetism

One of the most frustrating mysteries of modern physics has finally been solved. Scientists have been puzzled for decades why plutonium, which is a metal, does not have the same magnetic properties that other metals do.

Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory discovered that unlike other metal elements, an atom of plutonium has a variable number of electrons in its outer shell which makes it impossible for magnetism to be displayed.