Logo
    Search

    Iridium and the end of the dinosaurs

    enJune 27, 2019

    About this Episode

    Iridium is the second-densest element on the periodic table and the most erosion-resistant metal. A layer of iridium in rocks marks the demise of the dinosaurs, according to Allan Blackman from AUT, in ep 39 of Elemental.

    Recent Episodes from Our Changing World

    New Zealand’s Antipodes Islands – remote, wild, and special

    New Zealand’s Antipodes Islands – remote, wild, and special
    An ambitious project to rid the remote Antipodes Island of introduced mice proved successful in 2018. Claire Concannon visits the spectacular subantarctic island to meet the locals – from penguins to megaherbs – and the people studying the wildlife. Plus, we learn about what's at stake in the next island eradication challenge for New Zealand.

    Summer science: Hybrid wildlife and mātauranga Māori

    Summer science: Hybrid wildlife and mātauranga Māori
    Should we intervene to prevent hybridisation between an endangered species and its common relative? In this week's summer science episode, two students from the Department of Science Communication at the University of Otago tell stories of science controversy: the conservation conundrum of hybrids, and the relationship between western science and mātauranga Māori.