Mendelevium: The Way It Was

A reel of black & white film shot nearly 60 years ago has surfaced at Berkeley Lab, depicting the discovery of Mendelevium - or Element 101 - as reenacted by some of the legendary scientists who did the actual work at that time. Since the 1940s, Berkeley Lab scientists were locked in a race to synthesize new elements, and more often than not, they came out winners. Sixteen elements, most of them in the actinide series at the bottom of the periodic table, were discovered and synthesized by its researchers.
Retired Berkeley Lab physicist Claude Lyneis found the reel in a box of dusty and deteriorating films slated for disposal. Using digital editing skills he acquired to make videos of his son's lacrosse team, Lyneis has produced and narrated an excerpt of this nearly-lost footage. It is an entertaining and informative look at the pioneering physics performed at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's hillside campus. Get the full story here: today.lbl.gov/60-year-old-film...

[@tammeracampbell8196]

I love this series of history of the Lab. Can't get better than some of these oldies but goodies.

[@jennipherring5763]

this is absolutely delightful. I love the Foley effects especially the VW engine sound-spot ON with that. But what stands out for me, is that even though Dr Seaborg and his crew were doing cutting edge nuclear chemistry, it came down to basic beaker and burner wet chemistry methods to verify the results.

[@emerald1one1]

still amazing of the effort they went through to discover a new element almost 60 years ago, thank you for the link to the discovery of the film hope the other films have a chance to last longer too.

[@NuisanceMan]

That Beetle was very sophisticated technology!

[@BerkeleyLab]

#throwbackthursday A film shot nearly 60 years ago has surfaced, depicting the discovery of mendelevium - or Element 101 - as reenacted by some of the legendary scientists who did the actual work. Get the full story here: ow.ly/qBrFB

[@VPXM2012]

Very cool!

[@gilchoppin2810]

My brother Greg was an amazing guy and a great big brother.

[@BackYardScience2000]

Ok?

[@KierDarby]

Thanks for posting this - Bernard Harvey was my great uncle, and I’d never seen this video before

[@LyneisFilm]

Bernard hired my at LBL in 1981 and I knew him very well. He was a brilliant nuclear chemist and wonderful person.

[@richardsextro1627]

@@LyneisFilm Bernie was the director at the 88-inch cyclotron in the late 1960's and early 1970's when I was there as a grad student. He was indeed a great guy; the 88-in was a small colony unto itself, as it was (still is) part way up the hill and Bernie was well respected by all - from the plumbers and crane operators to the grad students, post docs and research staff.

[@LyneisFilm]

@@richardsextro1627 Thanks for the note. Bernie hired me in 1981, and I worked their until 2013. Good to hear from you. I recognize your name, but don't think that we ever met. Claude

[@mahiru20ten]

thumbs up if you were coming to see this from Jalopnik.

[@Blackscorpion1963]

Science has come a long way since our friend the 'Bunsen burner'...

[@emerald1one1]

half-life ?