Oxygen (O) - oxidation
The 鈥渆lement of life鈥� also makes the air that we breathe very dangerous and costly to operate in 鈥� enabling everything from rust to rot to fire.
The 鈥渆lement of life鈥� also makes the air that we breathe a perilous and costly atmosphere in which to operate.
Prof Andrea Sella of University College London provides presenter Justin Rowlatt with a characteristically striking argument for why oxygen is so 鈥渋ncredibly dangerous鈥�, and how its advent turned Planet Earth into a snowball.
Pawanexh Kohli, in charge of India鈥檚 national cold chain strategy, explains over a cup of chai why the oxygen needs of fresh vegetables and fresh meat are very different.
Physics polymath Baldev Raj unpicks the mystery of Delhi鈥檚 1,600-year-old iron pillar, and explains just how damaging rust and corrosion can be.
And former 鈥渟moke-jumper鈥� Frankie Romero explains the mesmerising attraction of wildfires, and why stamping them out isn鈥檛 always a good idea.
(Photo: Wildfire in Los Alerces National Park, Argentina; Credit: Emiliano La Salvia/AFP/Getty Images)
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Elements
Chemical elements: where do we get them and how do they fit into our economy?
