Epi 101: How bacteria can help us make new smartphones and laptops

Full Episode description

Man will soon begin to build houses on moon. Check.
The James Webb Telescope might soon tell us how the universe began its journey. Check.
Bacteria can help us make new smartphones and laptop. Err…Not sure if we have lost our mind here?

Pinch yourself. This is reality.
In this episode with 10-year old Agastya Deshpande from Nahar International School, Mumbai, you will hear all about scientists who have discovered new uses for bacteria. They have the ability to accelerate the process of extracting metals.

Why do we need bacteria, you ask? The demand for phones and gadgets is only growing. We are in need of many rare earth minerals that are used in our devices. Bacteria will come in handy in extracting these from our old discarded gadgets.

What precious metals do our old phones have? To find out more, listen to epi 21 on how to responsibly discard e-waste

To listen to epi 27 about the Floating city of Busan (the episode recommended by Agastya), please click here

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