Italy | The Episodic Table of Elements

61. Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus

May 18, 2020

6:00 am

Leave a comment on 61. Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus

Art & Science, Henry Moseley, Illumination, Italy, Mythology, Radioactivity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

We’ve met mythological light-bearers before, but this one possesses a decidedly nobler spirit.

Continue reading “61. Promethium: What A Friend We Have In Prometheus” →

43. Technetium: Naturally Synthetic

August 12, 2019

6:00 am

Leave a comment on 43. Technetium: Naturally Synthetic

Carlo Perrier, Dmitri Mendeleev, Emilio Segre, Ernest Lawrence, Etymology, Fission, Gabon, Germany, Ida Tacke, Italy, Medicine, Nuclear Power, Oklo, Otto Berg, Particle Accelerators, Synthetic Elements, Walter Noddack

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

It’s only after we gave up searching for this element that we found it out in the universe.

Continue reading “43. Technetium: Naturally Synthetic” →

33. Arsenic: It’s Not Easy Being Green

March 11, 2019

6:00 am

Leave a comment on 33. Arsenic: It’s Not Easy Being Green

Adenosine Triphosphate, Agatha Christie, Aqua Tofana, Botox, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Crime, Giulia Tofana, Italy, Literature, Napoleon, Paracelsus, Pharmaceuticals, Poisons, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Considering how synonymous this episode’s element is with “poison,” it’s astounding how eager people have historically been to ingest the stuff.

Continue reading “33. Arsenic: It’s Not Easy Being Green” →

30. Zinc: The Lecture Circuit

January 28, 2019

6:00 am

1 Comment on 30. Zinc: The Lecture Circuit

Alessandro Volta, American Civil War, Andrew Ure, Benjamin Franklin, Biology, Electricity, Electrolysis, Frankenstein, George Forster, Giovanni Aldini, India, Italy, Karl Weinhold, Literature, Lucia Galvani, Luigi Galvani, Mary Shelley, Pharmaceuticals, Primo Levi, Sculpture, Women In Science

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Learn about some of Italy’s most renowned chemists and how they inspired a most gruesome quest to conquer death.

Continue reading “30. Zinc: The Lecture Circuit” →