logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2019
9m 45s

Tennessine's Wild Ride To The Periodic T...

NPR
About this episode
There are rare chemical elements, and then there is tennessine. Only a couple dozen atoms of the stuff have ever existed. For the 150th anniversary of the periodic table, NPR science correspondent Joe Palca shares the convoluted story of one of the latest elements to be added.

Follow Maddie on Twitter @maddie_sofia. Email the team at shortwave@npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
Does the science of peptides live up to the hype?
Synthetic peptides are getting some serious hype, from fitness influencers on your FYP to people seeking new options for chronic conditions. And while the human body already makes peptides, like insulin and the hormone oxytocin, most of the viral synthetic peptides are not approv ... Show More
12m 52s
Jul 21
Cyclosporiasis: the science, risks and red flags
What’s small, round and could give you explosive diarrhea? Cyclospora parasites. The diarrheal disease they cause is wreaking havoc on thousands this summer in what is the largest known flare up in the U.S. ever. What’s causing it and what can we do about it? NPR’s Joseph Kim joi ... Show More
10m 36s
Jul 20
Are Trump and AI driving a nuclear power boom?
A race started by President Trump is leading to the rapid construction of new, experimental nuclear reactors. If they work, they could power data centers for artificial intelligence. But critics worry that the breakneck pace is compromising safety and public trust. NPR correspond ... Show More
13m 46s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2019
Periodic Table: 150 Au Years
This week we're celebrating 150 years of the Periodic Table - we'll find out how scientists uncovered the elements in the first place and what other mysterious materials may be waiting to be discovered. Plus a way to power up the body's own morphine-like chemicals, how microbes a ... Show More
55m 25s
Oct 2010
We Love the Periodic Table
<p>The periodic table is an invaluable tool for scientists across the planet -- but how does it work? In this episode, Allison and Robert explore the creation of the periodic table. Tune in to learn more about the history and structure of the periodic table.</p><p> </p> Learn mor ... Show More
30m 9s
Mar 2021
Tales of Love and Madness from the Periodic Table
<p>Did you know that Gandhi hated iodine? Or that Silicon Valley was almost called Germanium Valley? Our producer <a href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/rigoberto-hernandez" target="_self" data-cke-saved-href= "https://www.sciencehistory.org/profile/rigoberto-hernandez" ... Show More
55m 14s
Feb 2017
Chemistry World podcast – January 2017
This month we introduce our new puzzles page, discuss the implications of Trump for science and meet Yuri Oganessian, the only living person with an element named after him 
47m 12s
Oct 2010
Episode 105: Periodic Table Contents
tail spinning
14m 4s
Mar 2021
Elements
<p>Scientists took about 300 years to lay out the Periodic Table into neat rows and columns. In one hour, we’re going to mess it all up.  This episode, we enlist journalists, poets, musicians, and even a physicist to help us tell stories of matter that matters. You’ll never look ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2023
Massive mysterious blasts // Colliding neutron stars // Juice | S26E142
<b>The Space News Podcast.</b> <b>SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 142</b><br /><b>*Discovery of massive mysterious blasts in the distant universe </b><br />Astronomers are baffled by a mysterious series of massive explosions in the distant Universe which are emitting more energy than ... Show More
35m 48s
Mar 2019
The periodic table turns 150
Are chemical elements critical for the modern economy in dangerously short supply? It's a question that Justin Rowlatt poses a century and a half after the Russian chemist Dmitry Mendeleev published the original periodic table.Justin speaks to two chemists - Andrea Sella of Unive ... Show More
19m 21s
Sep 2024
From the Vault: The Eltanin Antenna
In this classic episode of Stuff to Blow your Mind, Rob and Joe discuss the alleged Eltanin Antenna and the natural-world explanation for the image. What does this case and others like it reveal about our craving for extraordinary explanations of perplexing evidence? (originally ... Show More
1h 10m
Oct 2019
Anniversary of the Periodic Table
The Periodic Table How well do you know your Fe from your Cu, and what the heck is Np?? Brian Cox and Robin Ince are joined by comedian Katy Brand, Prof Polly Arnold and Prof Andrea Sella to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Dmitri Mendeleev's great achievement. They find out ho ... Show More
37m 2s