Tag: 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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  • On the pathology of miner’s lung (1875)

    and a history of phagocytosis (and athletic fish flakes)

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  • Keres, bloodthirsty death spirits in Greek Mythology

    Keres, bloodthirsty death spirits in Greek Mythology

    In Greek mythology, the Keres (/ˈkɪriːz/; Ancient Greek: Κῆρες), singular Ker (/ˈkɜr/; Κήρ), were female death-spirits. They were the goddesses who personified violent death and who were drawn to bloody deaths on battlefields. Although they were present during death and dying, they did not have the power to kill. All they could do was wait and then feast on the dead. The…

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  • Sanxingdui (‘Three Star Mound’)

    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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