TYRIAN PURPLE
For millennia, Tyrian purple was the most valuable colour, and a prestigious symbol of power and influence, on the planet. Then the recipe for making …
LITHIUM AND SODIUM
Lithium and Sodium are closely related alkali metals in the periodic table of elements and, therefore, have similar properties and uses. One of the main …
FOREVER CHEMICALS
“Forever chemicals” are an increasing threat to the future of human life on earth. These chemicals are synthetic, manufactured, and are extremely difficult to get …
THE HISTORY OF THE AR-15
The history of the AR-15, is a fascinating story of an attempt to save American lives that turned into one of the most destructive elements …
SEAFLOOR
Tucked inside a federal government building in the American Rockies is the world’s best collection of seafloor maps. Occasionally a hard drive arrives in the …
HOTSAT-1
HotSat-1 carries the highest resolution commercial thermal sensor in orbit, enabling it to trace hot and cold features as small as 3.5 meters across. It …
MALARIA
I reported a while ago on the development of a vaccine against malaria, and the fact that the search for such a life-saving solution to …
LENAT
“Writer of common sense into computers” was the header of an obituary I read in The Economist this week for Douglas Lenat. I don’t generally …
THE BULLET
The Bullet is, debatably, one of the world’s most enduring manufactured products. With that statement, you may well think I am talking about the projectile …
BINDESHWAR PATHAK
The death of Bindeshwar Pathak this month has highlighted the enormous change he brought in an on-going fight to bring India’s sanitation habits into the …