Polymetalic Nodules Are Weird

The Rest Is Science

Goalhanger

Science, Physics, Mathematics

4.5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 May 2026

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if one of the most valuable objects on Earth has been sitting untouched at the bottom of the ocean for 100 million years? In this Field Notes episode, Professor Hannah Fry brings Michael Stevens (VSauce) a strange metallic rock formed in the deepest parts of the Atlantic over millions of years. What begins with a bizarre Cold War CIA cover story involving Howard Hughes and a sunken Soviet submarine quickly turns into a journey through deep sea geology, natural “electric” rocks, and the environmental dilemma of mining the ocean floor for the rare metals used in electric car batteries. Plus: can you train yourself to become ambidextrous? are giraffes more vulnerable to lightning strikes than other animals? Does damp cold really feel colder than dry cold? And do humans actually sense wetness at all? ------------------- For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit ⁠⁠https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience⁠⁠ Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ. ------------------- Find The Rest Is Science all over the internet by ⁠⁠clicking here.⁠⁠ ------------------- Video Producers: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley + Jack Meek Animator: Sam Benson Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell Assistant Producer: Lucy Lipscombe Producer: Simona Rata Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley Exec Producer: Neil Fearn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to The Rest of Science. I'm Hannah Fry. And I'm Michael Stevens. And we're doing field notes today, which is where one of us brings a little object. My object starts with a story. Have you heard about that, that Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire? I've heard of him, yeah. You've heard of him. He comes up. You know, in the middle of the Cold War, he built this massive ship. Do you know this story? Like a ship that
0:23.5	floated. I know I knew more about his airplanes. Okay, it's called the Glomar Explorer. Oh.
0:29.5	And he did this big announcement to the whole world and he said that he was going to go out on the ocean and he was going to mine these worthless looking black rocks at the bottom
0:39.4	of the Pacific Ocean.
0:40.5	For what?
0:41.5	For iron, nickel, gold.
0:44.3	Whatever.
0:44.9	For whatever.
0:45.9	For whatever.
0:46.5	Okay.
0:46.8	Just about plausible enough to seem true.
0:48.9	Yeah.
0:49.3	It was actually this massive stunt that the CIA were doing.
0:53.9	What he was actually doing, do you know about this?
0:56.5	Wait, I remember this story vaguely.
0:58.8	Let me guess.
0:59.8	What he was actually doing was, no, I don't.
1:04.0	Tell me.
1:04.4	He had nothing to do with it at all, really.
1:06.2	He was just a cover.
1:07.4	It wasn't his ship.
1:08.6	The CIA was doing something.
	...

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