Gold (Au)
Elements21 Sep 2016

Gold (Au)

Why do we value this practically useless metal so highly? And does it bring out the worst in human nature?

In a second look at this most coveted of metals, Justin Rowlatt hears both sides of the age-old argument. Swiss investor and gold enthusiast Marc Faber explains why he keeps gold bars tucked away at his home in rural Thailand. Meanwhile financial advisor and Big Picture blogger Barry Ritholtz teases goldbugs for succumbing to what he considers their very human irrational tendencies.

Plus, we hear from Bandana Tewari of Vogue magazine about why her home country of India will always be besotted by the bling of gold.

And here's a bonus for what is the penultimate programme in the Elements series. This podcast contains 10 gold-themed songs. If you think you can name some of them, then tweet your guesses to Justin at @BBCJustinR. Get them all right, and Justin might even give you a prize.

(Picture: Indian model sports gold jewellery for Diwali; Credit: Noel Seelam/AFP/Getty Images)

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Episoder(65)

Cadmium (Cd)

Cadmium (Cd)

This toxic metal is slowly being phased out of our lives. But as presenter Justin Rowlatt discovers, while nickel-cadmium batteries may have disappeared from our gadgets, they still help to keep plane...

25 Mai 201630min

Potassium (K)

Potassium (K)

Potash plumps up fruit, vegetables and grains, and the potassium it contains is an essential nutrient. Yet India is completely dependent on imports of this critical fertiliser to feed its population. ...

18 Mai 201629min

Hydrogen (H) - energy

Hydrogen (H) - energy

Is the dream of a hydrogen-fuelled zero-carbon economy achievable? Presenters Justin Rowlatt and Laurence Knight ask where the hydrogen will come from and how we will store it. Professor Andrea Sella ...

10 Mai 201629min

Zinc (Zn)

Zinc (Zn)

The metal that brings shelter and good health to India's poorest. Presenter Laurence Knight travels to a bustling Delhi where Rahul Sharma of the International Zinc Association explains how this self-...

4 Mai 201629min

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 2)

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 2)

As climate change threatens to play havoc with the rain, could we instead draw our water directly from the ocean? In his second gulp of H2O, presenter Justin Rowlatt hears from climatologist Raymond P...

27 Apr 201630min

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 1)

Hydrogen (H) - water (part 1)

Northwest India is fast running out of groundwater. As much of the world faces growing water scarcity, will mass migration and water conflicts become inevitable? Do we take water for granted at our pe...

20 Apr 201630min

Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe)

Noble Gases (Ar, Ne, Kr, Xe)

Neon, argon, krypton and xenon: Laurence Knight investigates their uses, from the blinding light of the arc welder's torch to the dying trade of the neon sign-making. Professor Andrea Sella explains h...

23 Mar 201629min

Germanium (Ge)

Germanium (Ge)

Nanotech, virtual reality, Moore's Law - we look at germanium, the substance that could oust the silicon from Silicon Valley, and one day help computers supercede your brain. IBM's head of innovation,...

16 Mar 201629min

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