Last Watched

"Clair Patterson"  Sort by

The Clean Room

   2014    Science
This episode is centered around how science, in particular the work of Clair Patterson (voiced in animated sequences by Richard Gere[33]) in the middle of the 20th century, has been able to determine the age of the Earth. Tyson first describes how the Earth was formed from the coalescence of matter some millions of years after the formation of the Sun, and while scientists can examine the formations in rock stratum to date some geological events, these can only trace back millions of years. Instead, scientists have used the debris from meteor impacts, such as the Meteor Crater in Arizona, knowing that the material from such meteors coming from the asteroid belt would have been made at the same time as the Earth. Patterson also examined the levels of lead in the common environment and in deeper parts of the oceans and Antarctic ice, showing that lead had only been brought to the surface in recent times. He would discover that the higher levels of lead were from the use of tetraethyllead in leaded gasoline resulting in government-mandated restrictions on the use of lead.
Series: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
How the Universe Works

How the Universe Works

2014  Science
The Jinx

The Jinx

  History
Reel Rock

Reel Rock

2015  Culture
Life on Our Planet

Life on Our Planet

2023  Science
Fierce Queens

Fierce Queens

2020  Nature
Wonders of Life

Wonders of Life

2013  Science
Capitalism A Love Story

Capitalism A Love Story

2009  Culture