The element Fermium was discovered in 1952, among the products formed during the first hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean. However, because the hydrogen bomb was a secret under President Truman’s administration, researchers were not allowed to publish their discovery of this new element for three years.
Fermium hasn’t yet been produced in sufficient quantities for us to find out much about it, and at the moment is only used in research, although some scientists predict it may have future uses in medicine.
In this general science zone, you’ll meet a scientist using bubbles to get medicines into the brain, a scientist studying what controls hunger and another who is helping people to start or maintain a career in data. One scientist is researching how to make mental health care better, one that is working out how to drill into a volcano and one who tests flavours and ingredients found in food and drink.