Chemistry

Secrets of the Super Elements

Secrets of the Super Elements

Secrets of the Super Elements: Forget oil, coal and gas – a new set of materials is shaping our world and they’re so bizarre they may as well be alien technology. In the first BBC documentary to be filmed entirely on smartphones, materials scientist Prof Mark Miodownik reveals the super elements that underpin our high-tech world.     We have become utterly dependent on them, but they are rare and they’re already running out. The stuff that makes our smartphones work could be gone in a decade and our ability to feed the world depends mostly on a mineral found […]

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Chemistry - A Volatile History episode 3

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 3 : The Power of the Elements

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 3 : In the final part, Professor Al-Khalili uncovers tales of success and heartache in the story of chemists’ battle to control and combine the elements, and build our modern world. He reveals the dramatic breakthroughs which harnessed their might to release almost unimaginable power, and he journeys to the centre of modern day alchemy, where scientists are attempting to command the extreme forces of nature and create brand new elements.     The explosive story of chemistry is the story of the building blocks that make up our entire world – the elements.

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Chemistry - A Volatile History

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 2 : The Order of the Elements

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 2 – The Order of the Elements: Professor Jim Al-Khalili looks at how the early scientists’ bid to decode the order of the elements was driven by false starts and bitter disputes.     In part two, Professor Al-Khalili looks at the 19th-century chemists who struggled to impose an order on the apparently random world of the elements. From working out how many there were to discovering their unique relationships with each other, the early scientists’ bid to decode the hidden order of the elements was driven by false starts and bitter disputes. But

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Chemistry - A Volatile History episode 1 : Discovering the Elements

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 1 : Discovering the Elements

Chemistry – A Volatile History episode 1: The explosive story of chemistry is the story of the building blocks that make up our entire world – the elements. From fiery phosphorous to the pure untarnished lustre of gold and the dazzle of violent, violet potassium, everything is made of elements – the earth we walk on, the air we breathe, even us. Yet for centuries this world was largely unknown, and completely misunderstood.     In this three-part series, professor of theoretical physics Jim Al-Khalili traces the extraordinary story of how the elements were discovered and mapped. He follows in

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The Cell

The Cell

In a three-part series, Dr Adam Rutherford tells the extraordinary story of the scientific quest to discover the secrets of the cell and of life itself. Every living thing is made of cells, microscopic building blocks of almost unimaginable power and complexity.     The Hidden Kingdom part 1 The first part explores how centuries of scientific and religious dogma were overturned by the earliest discoveries of the existence of cells, and how scientists came to realise that there was, literally, more to life than meets the eye.     The Chemistry of Life part 2 This episode explores how

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