Vanadium, a transition metal prized for tough steel alloys, is present in the human body in minute amounts; its compounds are considered toxic. The few species known to accumulate vanadium include our closest invertebrate relatives, sea squirts—which are masters of molecular recognition and chemical concentration. Join Professor Sarah Cohen of San Francisco State University to explore sea squirts’ unique use of vanadium and discover what these squishy relations can teach us about ourselves.

In the spirit of amplifying the Black Lives Matter movement and to avoid any appearance of having appropriated that title, our series of talks formerly called Everything Matters: Tales from the Periodic Table will now be called, simply, Tales from the Periodic Table. Please excuse the former title on videos made in the past.