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
Motivation

Motivation

2017  Culture
Wild Isles

Wild Isles

2023  Nature
The Story of India

The Story of India

2007  History
Earth from Space

Earth from Space

2019  Nature
Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist

2007  Culture
A Perfect Planet

A Perfect Planet

2021  Nature
Art of Eternity

Art of Eternity

2007  Art
The Lost Pirate Kingdom

The Lost Pirate Kingdom

2021  History