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Material World: How Six Crucial Substances Shape the Global Economy

There are six crucial substances in human history, according to writer and broadcaster Ed Conway: sand, iron, salt, oil, copper and lithium. They took us from the Dark Ages to the present day. They build our homes and offices, power our computers and phones, and create life-saving medicines. But most of us take them completely for granted. As Sky News Economics Editor, Ed Conway has travelled the globe in search for the origins of these vital substances – from the sweltering darkness of the deepest copper mine in Europe to the eerie green pools where lithium originates – to uncover a secret…

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