Tungsten is the metal with the highest melting point and this made it an ideal filament for incandescent light bulbs.
It also has the highest tensile strength of any metal.
It occurs in some enzymes (in a few bacteria and archaea only), making it the heaviest element used in nature, says Professor Allan Blackman from the Auckland University of Technology, in episode 89 of Elemental.
Photo: RNZ
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The Elemental podcast is celebrating 150 years since the periodic table was first published by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev.
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Professor Allan Blackman is at Auckland University of Technology.
