Category: METALLURGY

Arsenic: The Element of Surprise (and Murder)

Let’s dive into the sordid history of arsenic, the “King of Poisons” and the “Poison of Kings.” Our story begins in ancient times, when alchemists were busy trying to turn lead into gold. Little did they know, they were playing with fire – or rather, arsenic. These early mad scientists were probably the first to…
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September 2, 2024
Sanxingdui (‘Three Star Mound’)

Sanxingdui (Chinese: 三星堆; pinyin: Sānxīngduī; lit. ‘Three Star Mound‘) is an archaeological site and a major Bronze Age culture in modern Guanghan, Sichuan, China. Largely discovered in 1986, following a preliminary finding in 1927, archaeologists excavated artifacts that radiocarbon dating placed in the twelfth–eleventh centuries BC. The archaeological site is the type site for the Sanxingdui culture that produced these artifacts, archeologists have identified the locale with the ancient kingdom of Shu. The artifacts are displayed in the Sanxingdui Museum located…
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April 20, 2023
Eagle stones

For the mushroom, see Mycena aetites. In the magico-medical tradition of Europe and the Near East, the aetites (singular in Latin) or aetite (anglicized) is a stone used to promote childbirth. It is also called an eagle-stone, aquiline, or aquilaeus. The stone is said to prevent spontaneous abortion and premature delivery, while shortening labor and parturition for a full-term birth. The eagle-stone is defined as “the common name of the aetite” by Thomas Wright, Dictionary of Obsolete…
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January 12, 2023