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Arts & Culture

Uranium: Twisting The Dragon's Tail

Dr. Derek Muller at the Chernobyl Reactor, Chernobyl, Ukraine.
Courtesy of Josephine Wright/Genepool Productions Pty Ltd
Dr. Derek Muller at the Chernobyl Reactor, Chernobyl, Ukraine.

Airs Wednesdays, Aug. 7 & 14, 2019 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV

Unlock the mysteries of uranium, one of the Earth’s most controversial elements, with host and physicist Dr. Derek Muller

The year 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the most profound turning point in the history of human enterprise: the detonation of the atomic bomb and the revelation of the destructive force contained within its primary element, uranium.

“Uranium: Twisting The Dragon's Tail” is a two-part program that provides a fascinating journey through the complex history of the most controversial substance on Earth.

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The film takes viewers through place and time, touching on the cultural, scientific and natural significance of uranium and its many uses — from weaponry to medicine.

Part science and part history, the story of uranium is brought to life by host Dr. Derek Muller, a physicist and creator of the popular YouTube channel “Veritasium.”

The special follows Muller down mine shafts and across arid deserts, and through the vast silence of an abandoned city resulting from the world’s worst nuclear accident.

Muller relates how uranium crackles with the violence of creation and shapes life on Earth.

“We are who we are because of uranium,” Dr. Derek Muller says. “It unlocks the secrets of the universe and reveals the nature of reality. It’s both a dream of clean limitless power and a nightmare of a silent, poisoned Earth.”

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Watch On Your Schedule:

Part 1 and Part 2 are available to view on demand with KPBS Passport, video streaming for members ($60 yearly) using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.

Join The Conversation:

“Uranium: Twisting The Dragon's Tail” is on Facebook, and you can follow @veritasium on Twitter.

Credits:

A Genepool Production for PBS, is written and directed by Wain Fimeri and produced by Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Sonya Pemberton. It is produced with support from SBS Australia, Film Victoria and Screen Australia.