The Episodic Table of Elements

71. Lutetium: Swampland Centaurs 16.11.2020 14:44 ↓

Let us ensure we remember the lanthanide series before we leave it behind once and for all.

70. Ytterbium: White Gold 02.11.2020 14:58 ↓

When Johann Bottger failed to turn lead into gold, porcelain made a pretty good consolation prize.

69. Thulium: Out Of The Way 19.10.2020 14:48 ↓

We'll go to the land of the ice and snow... and figure out exactly where that is, too.

68. Erbium: Hyperlink 05.10.2020 19:14 ↓

Element 68 plays an important role in stitching together the World Wide Web -- for better or for worse.

67. Holmium: This Magnet Moment 24.08.2020 12:19 ↓

Holmium: Equally beloved by theoretical physicists and Jedi Knights.

66. Dysprosium: Hard To Get 10.08.2020 9:43 ↓

You spin me right round, baby, right round, like a windmill, baby, right round round round.

65. Terbium: The Joy of Tedium 27.07.2020 14:06 ↓

For more than one reason, element 65 makes the short list of "most annoying elements."

64. Gadolinium: Three Wise Men 13.07.2020 18:07 ↓

Like Luke Skywalker, today's tale takes a farmboy to greatness.

63. Europium: The Age Of Enlightenment 22.06.2020 14:13 ↓

As element collectors, may we all one day be as fortunate as Frank Harold Spedding.

62. Samarium: Eponymous Honorarium 01.06.2020 13:52 ↓

We hear all sorts of incredible stories on this podcast, but today we'll meet the most unbelievable character of all time: A friendly bureaucrat.

61. Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus 18.05.2020 18:30 ↓

We've met mythological light-bearers before, but this one possesses a decidedly nobler spirit.

60. Neodymium: Anarchy And Order 04.05.2020 20:05 ↓

Decades of complex geopolitical chaos ultimately result in one afternoon's rather embarrassing hospital visit.

59. Praseodymium: Grandiloquent Sesquipedalianism 20.04.2020 24:08 ↓

Sometimes, the most interesting aspect of an element has nothing to do with chemistry at all.

58. Cerium: Light My Fire 02.04.2020 16:12 ↓

It's the most common flint you'll find, except it's not actually flint at all.

57. Lanthanum: Hidden In Plain Sight 23.03.2020 14:39 ↓

Let's uncover element 57, and find out why the "rare earths" are neither rare nor earths nor an empire.

56. Barium: Glow-Getter 09.03.2020 13:33 ↓

When you really want to suck all the air out of a room, barium will help you out.

55. Caesium: A Brief History Of Time 24.02.2020 30:19 ↓

We'll trace the history of the most important caesium-based technology all the way back to its original roots: a stick.

54. Xenon: Ignoble Gas 10.02.2020 21:14 ↓

Truly strange things start to happen when you breathe this rarefied air.

53. Iodine: Purple Haze 27.01.2020 24:20 ↓

We'll pull in our elemental haul from the sea while Lady Jane Davy spits in the ocean.

52. Tellurium: To Hell You Ride 30.12.2019 23:29 ↓

Collecting elements can be risky business. Tellurium is one of those elements that poses a dire threat -- not to one's health, but to the element collector's reputation in polite society.

51. Antimony: Can You Return An Inheritance? 16.12.2019 37:46 ↓

It's like an Everlasting Gobstopper, but Willy Wonka is a fratricidal German monk.

50. Tin: Your Metal Pal Who’s Fun To Be With 25.11.2019 28:54 ↓

We've palled around with tin for thousands of years, but you should know that it's a fair-weather friend.

49. Indium: The Spectre Of Isaac 11.11.2019 33:15 ↓

The story of indium is pretty straightforward, but its namesake is practically impossible to pin down.

48. Cadmium: Don’t You Know That You’re Toxic? 28.10.2019 18:32 ↓

Cadmium will let you choose among a range of orange-ish hues, but it's some pretty awful news if you contract the "cadmium blues."

47. Silver: Our Own Image 14.10.2019 34:11 ↓

Silver is more than just a precious metal. It's also a reflection of ourselves.