16 February 2021, 12:00 pm EST By Amelia Earhart's disappearance has long been a mystery, but now, scientists are hoping to help unearth clues to what actually happened during the pilot's doomed flight around the world, and it seems like they will be using a nuclear reactor to help. (Photo : KENAN ÜNLÜ/PENN STATE) RSEC director Kenan Ünlü holding the metal patch they are analyzing. Unearthing Clues of Amelia Earhart's Disappearance According to Popular Mechanics, scientists from the Penn State University will use particle physics in order to test whether a piece of metal that was found by Ric Gillespie in 1991 is indeed a part of Earhart's Lockheed Model 10-E Electra.