Get to know silicon, the semiconductive element that comes from the stars, forms much of the Earth's crust, and makes modern computing possible. Exploratorium presenter Ron Hipschman reveals what you need to know about this glassy, semiconductive element and discusses both its modern and historical uses.

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.