Hank talks about a shiny element that has fascinated humans for millenia; and everyone’s favorite squeaky-voice gas and why it’s important for more than party balloons. Why our love affair with the rare earth elements has a dark side; and the awesomeness of the periodic table and the genius of the man who invented it. A sweet-tasting substance we humans just love – where it comes from, why we need it and how we could maybe stand to love it a little less. Hank delves into the details about that very popular substance: caffeine; the story of his favorite genius lady scientist and radioactive superhero, Marie Curie; and the high fructose corn syrup – the new “dark lord of nutrition” – to help explain the ambiguities around all the claims being made about it. Hank explains the science behind the effects of that wackiest of weeds, cannabis sativa – aka marijuana; and the man behind the periodic table – the brilliant Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev.
