Rubidium is an element with a half-life of 49 billion years, so it can be used to date rocks in existence before the earth formed. It's also used in heart medicine and assessment involving the circulatory system, as well as PET scans for cancer and Alzheimer's research. This Element of Surprise segment features the following experts: Rob De Kemp, head imaging physicist in cardiac imaging at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and Anna Koudrina, PhD student, Chemistry, Carleton University.

From the Curio.ca streaming audio-visual collection.