The Episodic Table of Elements

From jet fighters to sporting events to Low Earth Orbit, scandium seems to find itself at the center of conflict.

Stories of turning flesh to stone -- and vice versa -- are common in mythology. With calcium, we see how those same transitions can happen in the real world.

There's no avoiding discussing the banana in this episode, even though it really doesn't deserve its strong association with Element 19.

Today's element gets called "lazy," but that's actually a terrible misnomer.

Chlorine is an element that causes some extreme reactions, and occasionally inspires some pretty extreme reactions in humans, too.

From Vulcan to vultures, today's element brings stories of unintended consequences.

The history of phosphorus is largely a tale of people getting their hands dirty. Very, very dirty.

From prehistoric times right through today, our hand-held tools have been made of silicon.

Listen to some of the pointless arguments caused by element 13, and take a look at the argument-filled history of one sharp aluminum point.

Magnesium makes for quite a fireworks display, whether inside your body or out.

Turns out ancient sages and seers might've actually known a thing or two. Also, is there a good reason for sodium's chemical symbol? Na.

Neon may no longer be "the new one," but it might have a better claim to the name than any other element on the periodic table.

Just *try* to tally the body count behind the periodic table's most reactive element, then learn why you should drink it.

Element 8 brings us two different stories about a population that gets a little too swept up in the latest craze, happening to commit mass murder in the process.

Today we meet one man who's responsible for the death of millions -- and the survival of billions.

Learn why carbon is the foundation of all life on Earth as we investigate a chemist's suicide, death by air pollution, and one very, very cold murder case.

Today, we look past boron's hard exterior to get acquainted with its softer side. Its confusing, gooey, softer side.

As we try to dive deep into beryllium, we discover its irritating tendency to send us back to the beginning.

We cautiously approach this explosively reactive element and learn about its surprising ability to stabilize moods, with a brief foray into Bolivian economics along the way.

This week, we try to interact with helium, even though it really doesn't want to. Plus, we explore the occult side of chemistry, as described by the theosophists.

As we investigate our first element, we'll meet warring balloonists, witness mass media's first major tragedy, and see how the tiniest mistake can cost a lot of money. Plus, we'll try to pin down where hydrogen belongs on the periodic table.

In our inaugural episode, we'll cover the creation of the periodic table before we start exploring each element one-by-one.

Wondering what sorts of things you might here on The Episodic Table of Elements? I've produced this brief teaser so you can get an idea of what kinds of stories you'll hear.