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submitted 11 months ago by zirzedolta@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

For me it is the fact that our blood contains iron. I earlier used to believe the word stood for some 'organic element' since I couldn't accept we had metal flowing through our supposed carbon-based bodies, till I realized that is where the taste and smell of blood comes from.

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[-] Adalast@lemmy.world 12 points 11 months ago

We also distinguish between metals and non-metals by field of study. Ask an astronomer which elements are metals sometime.

[-] Urist@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

How so? I thought they were mostly determined by their positions in the table of periodic elements.

[-] Adalast@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Lol, they are. In astronomy anything heavier than Helium. is considered a metal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallicity

[-] Urist@lemmy.ml 10 points 11 months ago

Well TIL. It makes sense that from an astronomical perspective the use of metal as a qualitative distinction of material properties makes less sense than as a distinction of mass.

this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
384 points (96.8% liked)

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