The Weight of a Spark
In short: A factual exploration of the historical origins and the environmental and social costs of the materials powering modern phone batteries.
A 1:38 short film in the series “Journey of a Thing”, narrated by intellect_voice_01.
Sources used in this film: Smithsonian American History Museum, “Battery: Voltaic Pile”; Britannica, “Voltaic pile | electronics | Britannica”; U.S. Geological Survey, “Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026”; National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), “Impacts of Trace Metals Pollution of Water, Food Crops, and Ambient Air on Population Health in Zambia and the DR Congo”; Nature Sustainability, “Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo”.
Sources used in this film
- Smithsonian American History Museum — Battery: Voltaic Pile · View →
- Britannica — Voltaic pile | electronics | Britannica · View →
- U.S. Geological Survey — Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 · View →
- National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) — Impacts of Trace Metals Pollution of Water, Food Crops, and Ambient Air on Population Health in Zambia and the DR Congo · View →
- Nature Sustainability — Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo · View →
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Smithsonian American History Museum: Battery: Voltaic Pile
- Also: Voltaic pile | electronics | Britannica
- Also: U.S. Geological Survey: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026
- Also: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI): Impacts of Trace Metals Pollution of Water, Food Crops, and Ambient Air on Population Health in Zambia and the DR Congo
- Also: Nature Sustainability: Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo
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