The Extraordinary Stories Behind the Elements | BBC Earth Science

An Olympic pool is 2500 cubic meters, gold is 19.33 metric tons per cubic meter, that is 168,500 tons for 3.5 pools worth, the above ground gold stock as of 2025 is 219,891 metric tons. BBC you are off by a swimming pool, and that isn't counting any of the gold that has been mined and lost to time since first mined about 6000 years ago.

Do a video on 6 elements essential for life, you've already done 3

I hope the gold in my smartphone doesn't have a legacy of one of those desserts 😅

there seems to be a dark side to all the elements covered. very disturbing and informative

I am an antitheist atheist. I do not believe in the existence of God. There is no evidence to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on science, reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and have not found compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of God. The universe is governed by natural laws and forces, rather than moral, spiritual, or supernatural ones. As an atheist, I reject religious dogma, supernaturalism, and superstition as the basis of morality and decision-making. I emphasize the social and empirical nature of inquiry and prioritize scientific solutions to intellectual problems. There is an intrinsic intellectual conflict between faith and science, and that it inevitably leads to hostility. I am engaged in a continually evolving search for truth, primarily through science and philosophy.

Wow... yet another fantastic video from BBC! Thank you BBC Earth!! I learned so much from this. :)

Gold in your blood. You’re welcome

Nice video😊

I made it to 18 minutes only . Who are all these unidentified women adding endless comments . Poor production , BBC .

I don’t believe that we’ve only dug up three Olympic size swimming pools worth of gold in the history of humankind that is absolutely a false statement

Dear BBC Earth Science. This is a useful educational programme. For many, it could be a starting-point for those who want to know more. HOWEVER, the decision to upload in July 2026, but leave out any datestamp at the end (usually when copyright is claimed), or date of first broadcast in the Description, is more than irritating. At one point there are several events proposed for "the future", and these dates are rendered pointless, or confusing, when they have already passed. (I might go to the "Feedback" link, but for the time being, this will satisfy my need to question the missing information.)

Okay to be fair, silver also meets those properties of being good currency and is more common. Copper is a bit more reactive but still is recyclable, durable, and somewhat hard to get. Aluminum might work too, but that is really hard to isolate from ore without modern technology.

I thought scientists revisited the idea that gold came from a supernova? I just read that they now think it comes from neutron star mergers and/or magnetar flares.

El mundo esta lleno de gente de universo

1. Au 2. H 3. He 4. N 5. P

I think framing gambling and sex work with the negative consequences in very unfair; how we frame these things are important. Gambling and sex work are not objectively evil or immoral. Exploiting people using those means (or any) *is* evil. It's this type of thinking that continues the legacy of shame for sex workers and makes people want to ban gambling again because they think it's inherently evil.

And Trump just sold the rest of our entire stock of Helium to China! Don't believe me? Just search for it as I typed it. We're so cooked. I wonder where the money for that sale went to...

Out of curiosity, I watched. Count on the good old BBC to link the elements with racism. They do have a talent. Funny how they focussed on white racism. They never mentionned Mansa Musa. How he accumulated his richesse in Mali with thousands of slaves he forced to work in his gold and salt mines. Very selective historical account indeed.

Since when do we measure gold by volume?

Welders like Argon.