How do oysters make pearls?

How do oysters make pearls? - Rob Ulrich

Рет қаралды 1,231,753

Жыл бұрын

Explore how oysters use calcium carbonate to create pearls, and how this chemical compound creates a vast array of other materials.
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Despite their iridescent colors and smooth shapes, pearls are actually made of the exact same material as the craggy shell that surrounds them. Pearls, urchin spines, the shells of mussels, snails and clams, even coral- all these structures are made out of the same chemical compound: calcium carbonate. So how does this single ingredient form such a vast array of materials? Rob Ulrich investigates.
Lesson by Rob Ulrich, directed by Ivana Bošnjak.
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Music: www.campstudio.co
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Пікірлер: 476

@unknownuser3000 Жыл бұрын

One day someone will make a horror movie based on giant oysters turning humans into pearls. And I'll watch every second of it.

@ModeFin Жыл бұрын

At least they die pretty 😂

@undeadladybug7723 Жыл бұрын

I wouldn't be surprised at all if Japan did that, since they already have a movie where people turn into snails

@smallspace7 Жыл бұрын

🥶😮

@ebubechiibegbula5968 Жыл бұрын

Men you are dark....

@cesar.leyvag Жыл бұрын

This sounds like something out of Junji Ito's mind!

@SuperSylar Жыл бұрын

So in essence, pearls are the body reacting to an invasive material by coating with a thick substance that solidifies around it. In other words, pearls are pretty balls of hard snot. Good to know!

@robulrich757 Жыл бұрын

I’d argue that they might be zits ;)

@boson2916 Жыл бұрын

A perfect layman's terms

@user-jw5cu8qk6o Жыл бұрын

Didn't you hear this is just the leading theory? So there's nothing to know, but to believe.

@danielcrespo9124 Жыл бұрын

I do think there was too much talk over something that can be greatly simplified and shorter

@annihilate2479 Жыл бұрын

God this is going to blow up soon

@sirajummonira6874 Жыл бұрын

this is easily one of my favorite animation styles and I love how the content is so precise yet understandable

@kirukiru5421 Жыл бұрын

it was actually irritating for the eye. :/

@en2336 Жыл бұрын

It's dizzying :(

@nighthood9184 Жыл бұрын

it matches my bedroom, full of man stuffs. & Electronic hobby everyday until night.

@ggstylz Жыл бұрын

@@kirukiru5421 😂

@tasha5741 Жыл бұрын

1. Calcium carbonate is common in the ocean. 2. Oysters build layers by filtering calcium and carbonate in the sea water. 3. With special proteins, there are 2 variants of crystal structure produced from this - calcite (external shell) and aragonite (internal layer), which have different qualities. Calcite is more stable as compared to aragonite, and is less prone to dissolving. 4. Nacre (the pearl) is formed as a crystalline structure eventually. This stronger and more versatile form of aragonite is formed when hexagonal bricks of proteins and aragonite are stacked so uniformly that light bounces in a cascade of rainbows.

@shadilnazir2001 6 ай бұрын

Wow perfect revision. Thanks❤

@AryaKrishnaMS 5 ай бұрын

❤

@micahbush5397 Жыл бұрын

It's worth noting that the vast majority of pearls that form naturally are not round, and most are not gemstone quality, either. Prior to the development cultured pearls, gemstone quality pearls were extremely rare and valuable, so much so that Seneca, writing of the excesses of 1st century Rome, griped about women who wore three-pearl earrings: "This womanish folly is not exaggerated enough for the men of our time, unless they hang two or three estates upon each ear."

@bigsmall246 Жыл бұрын

The womanish folly hasn't changed much. Modern women just hang different pretty things from their bodies.

@fernandaabreu5625 Жыл бұрын

@@bigsmall246 It's womanish folly for me lol

@mimsydreams Жыл бұрын

@@bigsmall246 And men and others. Piercings are gender neutral. Seneca might have had a heart attack, if he saw gauges XD

@GameFuMaster 8 ай бұрын

@@mimsydreamsstill womanish

@mimsydreams 8 ай бұрын

@@GameFuMaster Really? I guess that just means women are braver than men, since we can handle the pain of a piercing and men cower because it's "womanish".

@wancheng89 Жыл бұрын

I come to learn about pearls but am more amazed about how an oyster came to be. I’m so fascinated to learn that it started out as a larvae, forming a shell around itself (the idea of a tiny bare oyster flesh just floating around never occurred to me before). It makes so much sense. That’s why the flesh is always joined with the shell when we eat any shellfish! Thank you TedEd for reawakening my wonders to life.

@Random-sk6hm 5 ай бұрын

Same with a turtle! It's part of the turtle's body, not independent from it

@rinshad Жыл бұрын

These animations look like they are created by people who love what they're doing. The narrations too

@CheBa. Жыл бұрын

Oysters : "Who dare trespass my property. Thou shall be slowly petrified and incarcerated inside me for eternity ." Humans : "BEAUTIFUL"

@fernandaabreu5625 Жыл бұрын

Oh no you didnt lololololol

@iseytheteethsnake6290 Жыл бұрын

$ех $3х $!х likes? Sorry mate not gonna click!

@mimsydreams Жыл бұрын

Humans seem to ignore all signs of defense from living organisms.

@bluehydra2582 Жыл бұрын

@@mimsydreams Like mint. Or chili peppers. Or opium.

@Random-sk6hm 5 ай бұрын

Pearls are the oyster's version of a booger that's encased a pathogen in mucus

@B3_H0N3ST Жыл бұрын

Woah I actually always wondered how but always forgot to ask thanks Ted ed for always giving us interesting facts and pieces of knowledge

@michaellorde8404 Жыл бұрын

They control it on a molecular level wow

@MrGamerCaptain Жыл бұрын

it used to be so confusing to me that people prized pearls higher than the shells when i learned that they were the same material. I still find it slightly weird, but I understand people prefer certain shapes now.

@fredriknumse8991 Жыл бұрын

The same material in different shapes or forms can have very different values. An example off the top of my head is wood. You can have a plank of wood, which sure is nice. But you can also have a figure of that same material, which will be worth a lot more even though it's the same material.

@adwita224 Жыл бұрын

@@fredriknumse8991 coal and diamond is another set to fit into "same element, different value"

@aguyontheinternet8436 Жыл бұрын

@@adwita224 no?

@berdwatcher5125 Жыл бұрын

@@adwita224 The carbon structure in diamonds and coal are different, but i guess its still carbon

@dashdots Жыл бұрын

I pretty sure diamonds are pretty cheap when they’re not cut and polished to perfection

@wildakusliawanlei9709 Жыл бұрын

I am 37 this year and am just starting to be curious of the lifecycle of an oyster and how it produces magnificent pearls. 😂 thanks a bunch Ted-ed for always being a great lecturer ❤

@Silliestgooberz Жыл бұрын

Why is no one talking about how pretty this video looks? It’s like a neat little stop motion art/science project.

@yellowstarproductions6743 Жыл бұрын

I agree

@joannagipson12 Жыл бұрын

I always thought that it was the build up of sand inside the clam that made the pearl. It's good to learn something new! 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

@perpetualbystander4516 Жыл бұрын

Well, I don't consider it a wild guess if you assume that it sometimes starts with a grain of sand, 'cause maybe they can't differentiate that from something else. Just a thought...🤷‍♂

@max3eey Жыл бұрын

Sand is silicone

@sijam2m59 Жыл бұрын

Yes

@hyperchlorite8808 Жыл бұрын

@@max3eey Silica (SiO2)*

@poggins4480 Жыл бұрын

@@hyperchlorite8808 💀 ok professor

@NoSlaying Жыл бұрын

this is so interesting, I grew up in the persian gulf, i dived for pearls as part of my tribal heritage using traditional boats and tools

@dewilew2137 Жыл бұрын

How cool!!! Very interesting! 😃 May I ask what tribe you belong to?

@Student-gi4lb Жыл бұрын

Our minds are like oysters, we earn pearls as knowledge

@reginateng2048 Жыл бұрын

The animation on this one is impeccable.

@handyb2000 Жыл бұрын

Literally investigating nacre and shells for my masters so this ted video was a pleasant coincidence

@strange_and_magnificent Жыл бұрын

Ted-Ed is the best teacher.

@yellowstarproductions6743 Жыл бұрын

So true

@echa9446 Жыл бұрын

hats off to the illustrator /animator of this video 💯🙌

@earthling_parth Жыл бұрын

This was one of the most impressive animation styles TED-ED has ever deployed. Hats off to the animator 👏

@caioesteves1520 Жыл бұрын

this channel is absolutely perfect

@robynbrowne1277 Жыл бұрын

As a marine biologist this took me back today undergrad days of invertebrate zoology

@cronie8207 Жыл бұрын

Hi! Just curious what do you as a marine biologist usually do?

@banksofbarcelona3893 Жыл бұрын

The sound of the oyster closing like a giant door. Awesome

@Closetedboogieman Жыл бұрын

So many oysters, so few pearls ❤

@ahmedmunsif2110 Жыл бұрын

The production value in his video is just 😮❤

@leonti0027 Жыл бұрын

amazing how perfectly spherical they make it. Nature is cool af

@QaziAbbas7483 Жыл бұрын

You know the video is good when prof. urchin teaches you about pearls.

@shamuka19 Жыл бұрын

My name - Shamuka, means oyster and this vid made me so happy

@h2amster328 Жыл бұрын

YOOOO! Art direction of ted-ed vids are always on point!!!!!!!!

@luciddream5055 Жыл бұрын

I just recently thought about this. Thanks for sharing this

@farhanaaz_20 15 күн бұрын

I mean I just love the way the animation is being presented. Specifically the inside ocean scenery, giving the water vibration ads out of the world experience to it.

@midimusicforever Жыл бұрын

What a pearl this video was!

@ookeybookey7955 Жыл бұрын

I love this stop motion animation!

@pranaypallavtripathi2460 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for solving one if my childhood mystery !!

@williamjayaraj2244 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for this wonderful video Ted-ed.

@Indresh2468 Жыл бұрын

The CO3 in the water which helps build the shell, also degrades the shells when in abundance (carbonic acid).

@zackakx5807 Жыл бұрын

One of the beautiful arts of nature ❤️.

@strawberry_moon187 Жыл бұрын

I was always curious about this!

@xhok Жыл бұрын

been waiting for this one!

@SweetWatch Жыл бұрын

Great Great Great & Lovely effort for explanation, thanks a lot

@amritanshumonarch Жыл бұрын

The visuals kept remembering me of my childhood. ♥️

@TristanSamuel Жыл бұрын

"Ooh, cool rock! Let me get a closer look..." *Proceeds to get turned into a pearl*

@humanaku9135 Жыл бұрын

The presentation is excellent on this one!

@LetsLearn_with_Param 4 ай бұрын

Informative 🙂

@FaizanQurashi-bc2zu Жыл бұрын

Great knowledge delivered to public. Very nice experience while searching for the formation of a pearl. I heared a myth in my childhood that when first rain drop enters a sea shell it converted to a pearl. But those all are myths anyway

@Bob-je3kx 8 ай бұрын

So basically pearls are deep sea kidney stones

@EmiliaKahavila Ай бұрын

😂😂

@maxhill9254 Жыл бұрын

Great information and and animation

@user-bp4nv3qp4d Жыл бұрын

Astounding information😃

@hollawar1391 Жыл бұрын

woww very impressive animation style and cool chemical explanations! Thanks :)

@claudioestevez1028 Жыл бұрын

There are pearl farms in different parts of the world, so it seems to be a very solid theory if the results can be reproduced so consistently.

@bunnyshy Жыл бұрын

OK but why is the thumbnail a picture of a pearl in a scallop

@subtrue3882 Жыл бұрын

Another curiosity being solved by TED🙌

@graceguenette2723 9 ай бұрын

That’s is really really cool good job

@jayvaghela9888 Жыл бұрын

I turned off captions to watch every inch of screen of this beautiful video.

@joramarentved Жыл бұрын

ON Any Level!

@TSHEKHAN 14 күн бұрын

So random, but SO SATISFYING. 😊

@rakhsingh6060_ Жыл бұрын

Well praises for the artwork of mother nature

@UraidTariq Жыл бұрын

Very well-researched and fine-made video this is. Keep it up Ted-ed

@dailynewsroom Жыл бұрын

This video is a good education for me...

@SingiIII Жыл бұрын

Wow,Beauty really is on the inside.❤

@src3360 Жыл бұрын

The human body does this. It calcifies foreign things in the body. A "stone baby" is a incredibly rare pregnancy that dies inside and never expelled, the body covers it in calcium and it becomes a stone. Usually found years and years later. Look up pictures, its pretty amazing, sad but amazing...

@Random-sk6hm 5 ай бұрын

Same with boogers. That's just a foreign invader that's been encased in mucus and later solidified. Pearls are essentially an oyster's boogers.

@src3360 5 ай бұрын

@@Random-sk6hm I can see what your saying lol

@CollinsPeterTz Жыл бұрын

I Always Wanted To Know This Thank You TED

@ayushirathore05 Жыл бұрын

Although it looks easy but it takes sometimes years for them to make one pearl . As said 'everything can cause irritation' and hence not every pearl is round and beautiful . Hence, pearls are rare, south sea pearls are one of the most expensive ones.

@MarcoMalfario 9 ай бұрын

How would they react to the irritation caused by intrusive sand if they have no central nervous system?

@CoranceLChandler Жыл бұрын

The same way we make ulcers, time and dedication

@SoulReaver Жыл бұрын

More Demon of Reason, please!

@babitamishra7840 Жыл бұрын

This animation style is so so beautiful♥️

@Koltronn Жыл бұрын

A little confused at 1:15, I thought that adding CO2 to the atmosphere and that being dissolved into the ocean actually created carbonic acid which attacks CaCO3 in the ocean and makes it harder to build shells

@robulrich757 Жыл бұрын

There are a few steps to the chemical reactions that occur. Carbonic acid then dissolves to make a proton and bicarbonate. That bicarbonate then further dissolves to make another proton and carbonate. These different chemical components all co-exist and the proportions of each depend on the pH. "Ocean acidification" as a term isn't really accurate to describe what is occurring. Instead, what is technically happening is that the ocean is becoming less alkaline, which means that the increasing amount of CO2 going into it now, is removing the bicarbonate and carbonate that are needed for shell-forming. Does that make sense?

@someordinaryperson6222 Жыл бұрын

Damn that's so cool

@sivasacimumporn1608 Жыл бұрын

thanks for your time up loading vdo

@sivasacimumporn1608 Жыл бұрын

i don’t trading anything with yOU i don’t trading who have scambag mind set on hidden agendas and treating other badly

@DSFtfghjfgf Жыл бұрын

So you see, when a Mommy Clam and a Daddy Clam love eachother very much...

@REALLY-EZ-PZ Жыл бұрын

…they make a smaller clam.

@deanab-se5op Жыл бұрын

Cute animation

@theenlightenedone1283 Жыл бұрын

*There is a myth in Pakistan among the old folks that the oyster takes the 1st drop of rain and turns it into a pearl*

@rainbowcake8650 Жыл бұрын

Is there a video you have on oysters life cycle? If no it could be a nice idea^^'. Alo love this video>3

@GenderFluidDragonKing Жыл бұрын

Oysters have to be one of my favorite animals now that is so metal they turn their enemies / predators into jewelry

@HangNguyen-gn7bi Жыл бұрын

so interesting

@kavithakavitha990 Жыл бұрын

One of the best science animatory channel in the world 😃👏

@awena8295 Жыл бұрын

This is a question that my 4th grader asked me last week 🥺

@imoutodaisuki Жыл бұрын

3:25 eyyy bestagons!!!

@rekhashankhi5864 Жыл бұрын

You are truly speaking 🔊

@Fundamental_Islam. 5 ай бұрын

In paradise there are homes made out of a single hollow pearl

@koscarlynn Жыл бұрын

Weeeeeeeeell damnnnn I was NOT expecting pearls to be leftovers

@snehapai5049 8 ай бұрын

Can you please tell more about gemstones and it's raw form?

@jonbilgutay2 Жыл бұрын

So when you get right down to it, a pearl is a shiny spherical scar.

@hepsibaharish8509 Жыл бұрын

Super.👍👍👍👍👍

@prashish750 Жыл бұрын

and that is amazing …

@RobinOm27 Жыл бұрын

wow!

@Brian-ux3jx 11 ай бұрын

So the obvious question is...why dont they just make the outter layer of their shell out of Nacre( or whatever its called) if it is the strongest material they produce? Probably takes too long or uses too much energy im assuming.

@l.am.legend Жыл бұрын

nice

@dinhquan107 Жыл бұрын

wonder how this art style was made

@1969kodiakbear Жыл бұрын

Pearl. Broca's area, or the Broca area is a region in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere, usually the left, of the brain with functions linked to speech production.

@abhistraj4284 Жыл бұрын

Cool

@KoeSeer Жыл бұрын

human: look at this beautiful beads oyster: that's a coffin for a worm parasite trying to attack me

@Anonymous-qx9hs Жыл бұрын

Life is fascinating.

@nirmalakarri3733 Жыл бұрын

"The pearls beauty is made as a result of insult"

@ritajohannessen9804 Жыл бұрын

Thats what God does with us, to make us humble

@DB-me7ol Жыл бұрын

I wonder if the Kings and Queens that wore pearls ever thought of them as results of intrusions. As defense mechanisms…it reminds me of Elizabeth I who as some historians say wore such poisonous make up that irritated and ate her skin (and might have killed her)…beauty always find some correlation with pain and irritation.

@ghostderazgriz Жыл бұрын

pearl and nacre is a relatively recent discovery. The last 100 years type of deal, so likely old heirs didn't know or didn't think of this possibility. Also, to my understanding, it was not uncommon for members of a royal court, bourgeois, or high house, to experiment with chemical substances to produce make-up. It was the norm for many parts of europe.

@Neet-gl5ch Жыл бұрын

@@ghostderazgriz Wait, but people have been making artificial pearls for a long time now, no?

@muthnarang Жыл бұрын

Congratulations to myself for see this channel on KZfaq ❤

@zekebuboltz4065 Жыл бұрын

Hey, I was wondering if I could use your images and animations for a school project, I will give credit. If not, I understand. Thank you for the high quality videos!