How is metal made?

Brains On! Science podcast for kids

Brains On Universe

Kids & Family, Education For Kids

4.4 • 13.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 December 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Metal is amazing. It can be super strong like a steel beam. Or super flexible, like a copper wire. Humans have been obsessed with metals of all kinds for a very long time. This is part one a three-part look at how humans have used metal throughout history. Molly and co-host Ava are joined by Dylan Thuras, co-founder of Atlas Obscura, to look at how Earth got metal in the first place, how humans first found and used this stuff, and when we started making primitive tools with it. Plus, Marc and Sanden have some problems unpacking the new Brains On library. All that and a Mystery Sound!

Guest: Dylan Thuras, co-author of The Atlas Obscura Explorer's Guide to Inventing the World.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Lemonada
0:02.0	Brains on Universe
0:09.0	You're listening to Brains on
0:13.0	where we're serious about being curious
0:16.0	Imagine an amazing material.
0:18.0	It's hard, but you can make it soft and gooey like honey.
0:21.6	You can shape it into the most powerful tools,
0:24.6	dangerous weapons, or incredible armor.
0:26.6	It's strong enough to hold up entire cities,
0:29.6	and it can help power them too.
0:32.6	It can even send messages around the world.
0:35.6	This isn't science fiction.
0:37.9	This supermaterial is real.
0:40.1	It's metal.
0:41.5	Human beings have been obsessed with metal for pretty much as long as we can tell.
0:49.5	It's hard.
0:50.9	It's moldable, shapeable.
0:52.9	It is kind of a magical material.
0:55.3	That's Dylan Thuris from Atlas Obscura, and this is part one of a three-part look at how
1:00.4	metal changed the world, from ancient times to today. Check it out. That box goes in the sandwich
1:09.6	closet, Mark. No, no, no, the other sandwich closet.
1:12.6	Oh, oh hey, we're still busy moving into our ginormous new Brains-on Universe headquarters.
	...

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