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Out of Our Elements
Glass Is Making Your Internet Faster
Season 1
Episode 3
Caitlin and Arlo visit the Diablo Glass School to discover how chemistry plays an important role in glass’s versatility, and how its properties can be manipulated. Dr. Desiré Whitmore — also known as “LaserChick” — uses lasers to demonstrate how information can be transmitted through glass, and explains how that forms the basis of an ever-growing global fiber optic network.
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9:43
Can chemistry help us save precious art?
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Will antibodies be the heroes of the COVID pandemic?
8:28
What can we do to keep our infrastructure—and yes, our cars—running smoothly?
8:52
How did the molecules that make our world—and us—come to be?
11:42
Can we turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into stone to help slow global warming?
10:12
We have a plastic waste dilemma. Will innovative biodegradable plastics offer a solution?
13:36
Methane—the potent molecule we use to heat our homes—is also seriously heating our planet
13:29
Why is water so crucial to us—and to all life on Earth? The clues lie in our sweat.