Skip to main content

S1 E96

Falling Atoms Are Helping NASA Measure Earth’s Gravity

The Earth’s gravitational pull isn’t uniform, as it varies from one place to another. So, scientists developed a new instrument to deliver the most accurate measurements yet.

Published on 10/25/2019 at 7:04 AM

Elements is more than just a science show. It’s your science-loving best friend, tasked with keeping you updated and interested on all the compelling, innovative and groundbreaking science happening all around us. Join our passionate hosts as they help break down and present fascinating science, from quarks to quantum theory and beyond.

More Videos

Elements

S1 E205

The Hidden Environmental Costs of Electric Cars

S1 E205

Elements

S1 E204

How Crystals Can Turn Any Surface Into a Solar Panel

S1 E204

Elements

S1 E203

What’s Different About the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine?

S1 E203

Elements

S1 E202

This Massive Super Earth Is Almost As Old As the Universe

S1 E202

Elements

S1 E201

Scientists Just Proved the Existence of ‘Liquid Glass’

S1 E201

Elements

S1 E200

What’s Actually in the Pfizer and Moderna Coronavirus Vaccines?

S1 E200

Elements

S1 E199

The U.S. Was Hacked for MONTHS, Here’s What We Know So Far

S1 E199

Elements

S1 E198

The COVID-19 Vaccines Are Here. So What Happens Next?

S1 E198

Elements

S1 E197

The Average Human Body Temperature ISN’T 98.6°F Anymore

S1 E197

Elements

S1 E196

The World's First Commercially Available Flying Car Is Here

S1 E196

Elements

S1 E193

Why We’re Seeing More Gravitational Wave Events Than Ever Before

S1 E193

Elements

S1 E192

This 'Magic Ion' in Your Tap Water Could Be Making You Happier

S1 E192

Elements

S1 E191

Green Hydrogen Is Sparking a Revolution in Sustainable Energy

S1 E191

Elements

S1 E190

How to Wire a Computer Like a Human Brain

S1 E190

Elements

S1 E189

The World’s First Room Temperature Superconductor Is Here

S1 E189

Elements

S1 E187

How Quantum Diamonds Will Help Us Detect Cosmic Collisions

S1 E187

Elements

S1 E186

Earth’s “Evil” Twin May Hold Signs of Life

S1 E186

Elements

S1 E185

What Would a Quantum Internet Look Like?

S1 E185

Elements

S1 E184

This Massive Wall of Galaxies Is Lurking Beyond the Milky Way

S1 E184

Elements

S1 E183

11 Billion Years of Our Universe’s History Were Missing… Until Now

S1 E183

Elements

S1 E176

Diamonds Could Unlock the Mysteries of Earth’s Core

S1 E176

Elements

S1 E182

This Map Could Provide the Missing Clue to How Mars Became Inhospitable

S1 E182

Elements

S1 E181

China Is Launching Its Own Digital Currency, Here's Why

S1 E181

Elements

S1 E180

Nanoplastics Are Changing Everything We Know About Ocean Plastic

S1 E180

Elements

S1 E179

How Heavy Is the Universe?

S1 E179

Elements

S1 E178

Meet the “Wonderchicken” That Survived the Dinosaur Extinction

S1 E178

Elements

S1 E177

We May Finally Know Why Earth’s Magnetic North Keeps Moving

S1 E177

S1 E175

The Secrets of ‘Magic’ Angle Graphene Are Now Fully Revealed

S1 E175

Elements

S1 E174

What Perseverance Can Do That Past Mars Rovers Couldn’t

S1 E174

Elements

S1 E173

We Still Don’t Understand What Water Is, Here’s Why

S1 E173

Elements

S1 E172

Radiation Might Be the Key Ingredient for Extraterrestrial Life

S1 E172

Elements

S1 E171

This Missing Force Field Could Lead to a Dark Matter Breakthrough

S1 E171

Elements

S1 E170

This Cell Might Hold the Answer To a Universal Cure For Cancer

S1 E170

Elements

S1 E169

What if the Universe Was Lopsided?

S1 E169

Elements

S1 E168

This Black Hole Is So Close You Can “See” It, Here’s How

S1 E168

Elements

S1 E167

This Photon-Printed Carbon Is Stronger Than Diamond

S1 E167

Elements

S1 E166

‘Hot’ Qubits Crack a Major Quantum Computing Challenge

S1 E166

Elements

S1 E165

This Exoplanet Suddenly Disappeared From Space, Where Did It Go?

S1 E165

Elements

S1 E164

The Mystery of Our Interstellar Visitor May Have Just Been Solved

S1 E164

Elements

S1 E163

The Hidden Phenomenon the First Black Hole Photo Didn’t Show You

S1 E163

Elements

S1 E162

What Does Blood Plasma Therapy Mean for COVID-19?

S1 E162

Elements

S1 E161

Time Doesn’t Reverse Like Physicists Thought, Here’s Why

S1 E161

Elements

S1 E160

We Still Don’t Know Why Glass Exists, Here’s Why

S1 E160

Elements

S1 E159

How an Accident Sparked a Quantum Computing Breakthrough

S1 E159

Elements

S1 E158

Why Is Uranus Shooting Plasma Bubbles?

S1 E158

S1 E157

Why the Coronavirus Pandemic Is Affecting Your Dreams

S1 E157

Elements

S1 E156

How Contact Tracing Will Help Us Emerge From Lockdown

S1 E156

Elements

S1 E155

The Future of Quantum Computing Could Live on a Cryogenic Chip

S1 E155

Elements

S1 E154

Vortex Collisions Could Unravel How Order Turns to Disorder

S1 E154

Elements

S1 E153

How Slime Mold Is Helping Us Map the Universe’s Dark Matter

S1 E153

Elements

S1 E152

Farming Metal From Plants Could Be the Future of Sustainable Tech

S1 E152

Elements

S1 E150

This Doctor Asked His Patient To Play Her Violin Through Brain Surgery

S1 E150

S1 E151

When Will We Have a Coronavirus Vaccine?

S1 E151

S1 E149

DIY Coronavirus Masks Are Not Created Equal: Here’s What We Know

S1 E149

S1 E148

Here’s the Latest on Hydroxychloroquine and Other Coronavirus Antivirals

S1 E148

Elements

S1 E146

This Dead Star Is Twisting Spacetime

S1 E146

Elements

S1 E145

This New Superconducting Camera Could Finally Help Us See Alien Life

S1 E145

S1 E144

Einstein Might Have Been Wrong About Gravity... Here’s Why

S1 E144

S1 E143

How Long Does the Novel Coronavirus Live on Surfaces?

S1 E143

Elements

S1 E142

Why Engineers Turned to Origami to Create Reality-Bending Metamaterials

S1 E142

Elements

S1 E138

Meet the Autonomous Insect Robots That Will One Day Swarm the Skies

S1 E138

Elements

S1 E141

Toxic PFAS Are In Our Drinking Water, How Plasma Tech Could Remove It

S1 E141

S1 E140

Did This New Coronavirus Come From Bats? Here’s What We Know

S1 E140

S1 E139

This Is What You Need to Know About the Novel Coronavirus

S1 E139

S1 E136

Graphene ‘Wonder Material’ Can Now Be Made Using Trash

S1 E136

S1 E137

The Race to Mars in 2020

S1 E137

Elements

S1 E135

Everything We Know About Antarctica’s 'Ghost Particles'

S1 E135

S1 E134

This Massive Black Hole Is Blasting a Jet at 99% the Speed of Light

S1 E134

S1 E132

Chang’e 4 Mission’s New Images Illuminate the Far Side of the Moon

S1 E132

S1 E133

Japan’s Next Neutrino Hunter Could Revolutionize Particle Physics

S1 E133

S1 E131

Hubble Spotted New Evidence That Dark Matter Is "Cold"

S1 E131

Elements

S1 E130

This New Particle Accelerator Is Smaller Than a Human HAIR

S1 E130

Elements

S1 E129

The Fabric of Spacetime Was Rocked By Largest-Ever Neutron Star Merger

S1 E129

Elements

S1 E128

Will Betelgeuse Explode? This Is What Scientists Know So Far

S1 E128

Elements

S1 E127

Light Pollution Is One of the World’s Biggest Buzzkills…Here’s Why

S1 E127

Elements

S1 E126

This 3D-Printed Bunny Could Be the Future of Data Storage

S1 E126

S1 E125

Meet the Xenobot, the World’s First-Ever "Living" Robot

S1 E125

Elements

S1 E124

How Is Uranium Made Into Nuclear Fuel?

S1 E124

S1 E123

When Did Humans Start Walking? This Fossil Might Hold the Answer

S1 E123

S1 E122

Artificial Leaf Technology Could One Day Power Our World

S1 E122

Elements

S1 E121

This Dying Star Created the Highest-Energy Gamma-Ray Burst Ever Recorded

S1 E121

S1 E120

Scientists Discovered How Sleep Cleans Toxins From Your Brain

S1 E120

S1 E119

How Renewable Energy Is Releasing a Gas Way Worse Than CO2

S1 E119

S1 E118

The Dangerous Truth Behind Lunar Dust

S1 E118

Elements

S1 E117

This Record-Breaking 3D Printer Could Be the Future of Manufacturing

S1 E117

S1 E114

Scientists Just Fit Our Universe in a Box…Wait What

S1 E114

Elements

S1 E113

You Can Now Feel 3D images, Thanks to This New Tech

S1 E113

Elements

S1 E115

New Theory Reveals Why Tabby’s Star Looks So Bizarre

S1 E115

Elements

S1 E116

This New Tech Could Revolutionize How We Store Renewable Energy

S1 E116

S1 E112

'Magic' Angle Graphene Is BACK...With An Even Bigger Twist

S1 E112

S1 E111

What Has No Brain, 720 Sexes, And the Ability To Self-Heal?!

S1 E111

S1 E110

Why NASA’s InSight Mission Can’t Scratch Mars’ Surface

S1 E110

Elements

S1 E109

What’s Actually Happening in Your Noise-Canceling Headphones

S1 E109

S1 E108

The Existence of White Holes May Settle One of Physics’ Biggest Debates

S1 E108

Elements

S1 E106

This Secret X-37B Plane Just Landed After 780 Days in Orbit

S1 E106

S1 E107

The Search For an HIV Vaccine May Soon Be Over

S1 E107

S1 E105

Scientists Just Witnessed the Birth of Two Stars in Stunning Detail

S1 E105

Elements

S1 E104

The UK Is Racing to Build the World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant

S1 E104

Elements

S1 E103

India Just Unveiled its Ambitious Plan to Build a Space Station

S1 E103

Elements

S1 E102

This Breakthrough in Lab-Grown Meat Could Make it Look Like Real Flesh

S1 E102

S1 E101

Could Ocean Cleanup’s New Interceptor Help Solve Our Plastic Problem?

S1 E101

Elements

S1 E100

Scientists Just Witnessed the Birth of a Heavy Element in Space

S1 E100

S1 E99

NASA’s WFIRST Space Telescope Will Offer Unprecedented Look At Universe

S1 E99

Elements

S1 E98

Everything We Know About Dinosaur Evolution Just Changed, Here’s Why

S1 E98

S1 E97

How Big Is a Proton? This Decade-Long Debate May Have Just Been Solved

S1 E97

Elements

S1 E96

Falling Atoms Are Helping NASA Measure Earth’s Gravity

S1 E96

S1 E95

There’s a Hidden Continent Lurking Beneath Europe

S1 E95

Elements

S1 E93

Urgent Spacewalk Turns Into Historical Moment For NASA

S1 E93

S1 E94

NASA Is Planning to Slam a Spacecraft Into an Asteroid

S1 E94

S1 E92

How Scientists Discovered Nearly 200,000 Viruses Hiding in Our Ocean

S1 E92

S1 E91

What Quantum Matter Fireballs Can Tell Us About Evolution of the Universe

S1 E91

S1 E90

This Arctic Expedition Is Freezing a Ship for an Entire Year, Here’s Why

S1 E90

Elements

S1 E89

Did Google Just Achieve 'Quantum Supremacy'?

S1 E89

Elements

S1 E88

Could Ultracapacitors Realize Their Full Potential... With Laxatives?

S1 E88

Elements

S1 E87

Transforming Air Into Pure Drinking Water Is Finally Possible, Here’s How

S1 E87

S1 E86

This Underground Economy Exists in a Secret Fungi Kingdom

S1 E86

Elements

S1 E85

How These Bacteria Become Electrical Cables That Could Power Our World

S1 E85

Elements

S1 E84

WiFi 6 Just Launched and Here’s What It Means for Your Internet

S1 E84

S1 E83

Could Injecting Carbon Into the Earth Save Our Planet?

S1 E83

Elements

S1 E82

A Vaping-Related Illness Has Turned Deadly, Here’s What You Need to Know

S1 E82

Elements

S1 E81

Carbon Nanotubes Might Be the Boost Solar Energy Has Been Looking For

S1 E81

Elements

S1 E80

NASA’s TESS Is Getting Us One Step Closer To Another Earth, Here’s How

S1 E80

Elements

S1 E79

First Photo of Quantum Entanglement Could Disprove Einstein’s Theory

S1 E79

S1 E78

A New Laser Technology Can See Inside Our Bodies Like Never Before

S1 E78

Elements

S1 E77

Scientists Were Hunting for Dark Matter... and Then This Happened

S1 E77

S1 E76

No, the Amazon Rainforest Doesn’t Produce 20% of Our Oxygen, Here’s Why

S1 E76

Elements

S1 E75

Aerogel Could Be the Key to Colonizing Mars, Here's How

S1 E75

S1 E74

Why Is It So Hard to Figure Out How Fast the Universe Is Expanding?

S1 E74

S1 E73

This Deep-Sea Robot Will Explore Depths of the Ocean Like Never Before

S1 E73

S1 E72

Why Scientists Are Injuring Digital Humans to Improve Your Life

S1 E72

S1 E71

World’s First MRI of SINGLE Atom Is Here, It Could Revolutionize Imaging

S1 E71

S1 E70

How This New State of Matter Is Made With Lasers, Crystals, & Frustration

S1 E70

Elements

S1 E69

Scientists Detected Two Supermassive Black Holes on a Collision Course

S1 E69

Elements

S1 E68

Scientists Just Confirmed a Rare Lava Lake Is Hiding in an Ice Mountain

S1 E68

S1 E67

Why Elon Musk Wants to Implant an Electrical Wire in Your Brain

S1 E67

S1 E66

Earth’s Magnetic North Pole Is Shifting South… So What Now?

S1 E66

Elements

S1 E64

This New Discovery Could Reveal the Secret to How Galaxies Die

S1 E64

Elements

S1 E65

If Chernobyl Happened Today, How Could We Treat the Radiation Poisoning?

S1 E65

S1 E63

How Chaos Theory Unravels the Mysteries of Nature

S1 E63

Elements

S1 E62

Nuclear Power Plants Are Floating On Water…Wait What?

S1 E62

Elements

S1 E61

We Just Found a MAJOR Clue About How Life Started in the Universe

S1 E61

Elements

S1 E60

Scientists Just Discovered Fresh Water Under the Ocean, and It’s HUGE

S1 E60

Elements

S1 E59

This “Beating” Heart Patch Could Repair Broken Hearts

S1 E59

Elements

S1 E56

SpaceX’s Plans For Universal Internet Could Ruin Astronomy

S1 E56

S1 E55

We Just Discovered How The Milky Way’s Twin Was Destroyed

S1 E55

Elements

S1 E54

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Is Launching One of its Most Complex Missions Yet

S1 E54

Elements

S1 E53

Is This Color Blue? Maybe Not

S1 E53

S1 E52

This Part of Your DNA Could Shorten Your Lifespan

S1 E52

Elements

S1 E51

How Bad Are Rocket Launches for the Environment?

S1 E51

S1 E50

Here’s Why Repairing the Hole in the Ozone Layer Is Delayed by a Decade

S1 E50

Elements

S1 E49

How Space Triggers Herpes in Astronauts

S1 E49

S1 E48

Scientists Created a Plastic That’s Infinitely Recyclable

S1 E48

Elements

S1 E47

The Race to the Moon’s South Pole Is On, But Who Will Get There First?

S1 E47

S1 E46

The Newest Form of Water is Hot and Black, Wait What?

S1 E46

S1 E45

There Are Gravity Pulses Hiding in the Universe’s Most MASSIVE Stars

S1 E45

Elements

S1 E44

The New CRISPR Tool That Could ‘Delete’ Disease From Our DNA

S1 E44

S1 E43

The Fourth State of Matter Could Scrub Viruses From The Air

S1 E43

Elements

S1 E42

Giant Flow Batteries Could Power Your City In The Future

S1 E42

Elements

S1 E41

Could Zapping Your Brain With Electricity Improve Your Memory?

S1 E41

Elements

S1 E40

How Scientists Found the Universe’s First Type of Molecule

S1 E40

Elements

S1 E39

Scientists Grew A Lamb In a Bag... Wait What?

S1 E39

Elements

S1 E38

Why Did We Just Shoot A “Bullet” At An Asteroid?

S1 E38

S1 E37

New Subatomic Particles Are Shifting the Standard Model of Physics

S1 E37

S1 E36

Temperatures Could Rise If Earth Lost All Its Clouds, Here’s How

S1 E36

Elements

S1 E35

How Did the T.Rex Evolve to Be the Ultimate Predator?

S1 E35

S1 E34

Did NASA’s Twin Study Results Just Change Spaceflight Forever?

S1 E34

Elements

S1 E33

This Mini Brain Made a Muscle TWITCH, Here’s How

S1 E33

Elements

S1 E32

Is Russia Allowed To Make Their Own Internet? Sort Of

S1 E32

S1 E31

Why Don’t We Have Functional Biofuel Yet?

S1 E31

S1 E30

A Dead Satellite Is Unlocking The Secrets Lurking Beneath Antarctica

S1 E30

Elements

S1 E29

Could Black Holes Made Of Light Power Our Spaceships?

S1 E29

Elements

S1 E28

Why We Want A Perpetual Motion Machine, But Still Can’t Get It

S1 E28

Elements

S1 E27

Diamond Nuclear Batteries Are Forever… Sort Of

S1 E27

Elements

S1 E26

A 5G World Is on the Horizon, But How Will It Work?

S1 E26

S1 E25

A.I. Is Revolutionizing The Way We Build Video Games, Here’s How

S1 E25

Elements

S1 E24

Could This Be NASA’s Last Launch With Russia? | Countdown To Launch

S1 E24

Elements

S1 E23

Wireless Electricity Is FINALLY Coming, Here’s Where We’re At

S1 E23

S1 E22

We’re Going to Detect More Gravitational Waves Than Ever Before, Here’s How

S1 E22

S1 E21

Why This 3D Light Printer Is A HUGE Game Changer

S1 E21

S1 E20

Why Scientists Used Graphene Nanoribbons to Engineer Bionic Mushrooms

S1 E20

S1 E19

Scientists Are Close To Eliminating Pain, Here’s How

S1 E19

Elements

S1 E18

Could These Numbers Unravel New Dimensions in Space?

S1 E18

Elements

S1 E17

Scientists Trapped Electrons In a Quantum Fractal (And It's Wild!)

S1 E17

Elements

S1 E15

Why Twisted Light Holds the Key to Radically Faster Internet

S1 E15

Elements

S1 E14

Will This New Male Birth Control Gel Actually Work?

S1 E14

S1 E13

This Nuclear Robot Could Tunnel for Alien Life on Europa

S1 E13

S1 E12

How Did Roboticists Get This Ancient Fossil To Walk?

S1 E12

Elements

S1 E16

We May Have Just Unlocked a Secret to How Life on Earth Began

S1 E16

Elements

S1 E11

Everything It Takes to Engineer the World’s Largest Sea Bridge

S1 E11

S1 E10

What Really Happens to Your Blood After You Donate?

S1 E10

S1 E9

There’s a Subterranean Biosphere Hiding in the Earth’s Crust and It’s MASSIVE

S1 E9

Elements

S1 E8

The Crazy Plan to Deliver the First Baby in Space

S1 E8

S1 E7

These Metamaterials Go Beyond the Properties of Nature

S1 E7

Elements

S1 E6

Can Hawking’s Black Hole Paradox Be Solved With Fuzzballs?

S1 E6

Elements

S1 E5

How Ferroelectricity Could Change the Way We Store Data

S1 E5

Elements

S1 E4

How a Government Shutdown Screws Up Scientific Research

S1 E4

Elements

S1 E3

A New Genetic Alphabet Is Creating Things Nature Has Never Seen

S1 E3

Elements

S1 E2

Can We Power the World With a Single Energy Grid?

S1 E2

Elements

S1 E1

Why Did China Send a Probe to the Far Side of the Moon?

S1 E1

Elements

S1 E58

Could Magnonics Spark the Extinction of Electronics?

S1 E58

Elements

S1 E57

What Should You Listen to When You Want to Focus?

S1 E57