This is a past event
To the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, everything on Earth was made from the four elements of earth, air, fire and water.
The search for precious metals has led people to acquire, often violently, land containing precious metals. With 78 new elements discovered in the nineteenth century, chemists sorted them into groups of similar elements. Now, many more elements have been discovered, while research into radioactivity has also led to the creation of artificial elements heavier than the heaviest natural element, uranium.
This exhibition reveals some of the ways people have thought about the composition of the world. It also shows how our lives depend on many more elements than we expect, such as europium and terbium in energy-saving light bulbs. With supplies of some of these elements now critical and more elements being used for their differing properties, we cannot say which will become prized for their technological value and which will lead to conflict.
'Elements' in King's Museum will be open until January 2012.
For more details on exhibitions and events see the King's Museum Blog.
- Venue
- King's Museum