# How do oysters generate pearls? - Rob Ulrich

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/how-do-oysters-generate-pearls-rob-ulrich
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430/how-do-oysters-generate-pearls-rob-ulrich.md
Podcast: [TED-Ed](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-ed-7859430)
Published: 2026-06-21T09:30:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG4422667405.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/VG4422667405.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ted-ed-7859430/episodes/how-do-oysters-generate-pearls-rob-ulrich
Duration seconds: 427

## Resource

Explore how oysters use calcium carbonate to create pearls, and how this chemical compound creates a vast array of other materials.--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.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-oysters-make-pearls-rob-ulrichDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-do-oysters-make-pearls-rob-ulrich#digdeeperMusic: https://www.campstudio.co----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Morgan Williams, Devin Harris, Pavel Zalevskiy, Karen Goepen-Wee, Filip Dabrowski, Barbara Smalley, Megan Douglas, Tim Leistikow, Ka-Hei Law, Hiroshi Uchiyama, M…

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