TWO BOOKS, APPARENTLY DIFFERENT, ARE UNITED BY THE COMMON INTENTION TO REVEAL HOW NATURAL ELEMENTS INTERVENE STORIES AND LIVES, APPLIED OVER TIME.
The natural world has always retained a mysterious side hidden from human knowledge, an inexplicable magic that has inspired writers and artists over time. This mystery is often also linked to the female figure. The biologist’s choice is therefore not surprising Aina Ericewhich together with the talented illustrator Amanda Mijangos, decided to write a book that tells the story of women who, thanks to the help of nature, overcame the challenges of their time.
In “Viriditas. The women of botany” Aboca editionswhich will be released on February 23, the author tells how these female characters, who according to the views of the time were less intelligent and less capable than men, fight these prejudices thanks to plants, a species that is also undervalued.
The mentioned are just a few women’s stories which, together with nature’s precious help, have changed the world. They defeated deadly parasites, hunger and poverty, and brought that positive energy, that strength, that life that was missing.
“greenness”, stories about women and natural elements
One of the stories on these pages is that of the nurse Jeanne Baret. She managed to travel the world by embarking, disguised as a man, on a great expedition that led her to bougainvilleathe well-known plant whose flowers are a symbol of passion and welcome.
The scientist Maria Elizabeth BarberHowever, she was the first woman living in South Africa to publish a scientific article in an English journal. His interest in nature was shared with Charles Darwinbiologist and naturalist, still known today for his theory of evolution, with whom he maintained an extensive correspondence.
Another story that the author tells in the book is that of Tu You You. Chinese chemistry won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for being able to extract the active ingredient of Artemisia Annua, essential for the effective treatment of the malaria.
Finally, again thanks to feminine intuition, the battle was defeated fame: sugar cane became sweeter, numerous Pacific algae were classified, and potatoes became flour.
“The Devil Element”the phosphorus paradox
But the mystery of natural elements has not only enchanted women. There are many men who have experimented in search of a discovery that would mark the world. Among them is certainly the German alchemist Henning Brandt. In 1669 in Hamburg, in the vain hope of inventing the invention “the philosopher’s Stone”according to legend, capable of turning any metal into gold and curing any disease, discovered and isolated for the first time of phosphorus.
The history of this chemical element is the theme of the book “The element of the devil. Phosphorus and the precarious balance of the life cycle” (Aboca Edizioni) by the writer and journalist Then Egan, in bookstores from January 26. The pen of Dan Egan, two-time finalist for the award Pulitzerprovides an essential and illuminating scientific account of one of the most dangerous but least understood environmental problems of our time: an investigation into the past, present and future of “oil of our time”.
Phosphorus among natural elements “wonderful”
The history of phosphorus spans the entire world and all eras. With the name that comes from Ancient Greek and means “Light Bearer”this is one of the most important natural elements for vita on earth. It is present in our bones, in our teeth and even in our DNA and RNA.
However, this substance, as the famous writer described it well Primo Levi, «it is not an emotionally neutral element». There are many macabre anecdotes related to phosphorus, previously told by the popularizer John Emsley in his book ‘The thirteenth element. A sordid story about murder, fire and phosphorus.”
Initially chosen medicine universally, after which the industry discovered its benefits until it was used during the two world wars, causing an unknown number of gruesome deaths.
Dan Egan traces his story and the race to his extraction: from the fields of Battle of Waterloowhich were looted in search of the bones of fallen soldiers, to the legendary Guano Islands off the coast of Peru Bone Valley of Florida and the sand dunes of Sahara western.
From medicine to battlefield: use through time
The belief that the white phosphoruscan be used as a medicinal substance due to its miraculous luminescence. It was administered in small tablets or so “tonic” drink to cure a variety of physical and psychological ailments.
This practice was strengthened after 1719 with the discovery of the chemist Johann Thomas Hensing of its presence in the human brain. In reality, subsequent scientific developments have shown that white phosphorus is an extremely toxic poison, the lethal dose of which is even lower than that of cyanide. However, because its solubility in water was very low, assimilation was quite difficult. Instant death by poisoning was thus accidentally prevented.
Subsequently, the industrial sector also began to exploit the properties of phosphorus, for example in the production of special glass, porcelain, steel and bronze.
In the Victorian era, white phosphorus became the main ingredient of matches, due to its pyrophoric action, i.e. its tendency to spontaneously ignite on contact with air. Unfortunately, however, many female workers in these factories were victimsosteonecrosis of the jaw, which caused irreversible decay of the bone tissue of the jaw. For these reasons, the use of white phosphorus in matches was banned from the early twentieth century and replaced by red phosphorusless reactive.
Unfortunately, the lethal use of this substance also occurred in guerra. White phosphorus was rediscovered during the world conflicts incendiary weapon. In addition, the substance creates barriers through dense and irritating smoke. Then classified as smoke, is still used for war purposes. The last time was in 2005, when US troops used it in the Iraqi city Fallujahresulting in hundreds of deaths.
Phosphorus like the oil of our time
However, we should not forget that phosphorus together withof nitrogenis the basis of fertilizers and as a result, agriculture became much more productive. But as Dan Egan’s publication shows, our over-reliance on this essential crop nutrient is now causing the problem toxic algae bloom e “dead zones” in waterways. In addition, the enormous exploitation of recent decades has significantly reduced proven reserves, which are now estimated at 30 to 40 years based on current consumption.
So currently Phosphorus is just as precious and coveted as fossil fuelsbut we are depleting its supply at such a rate that some scientists, like oil, fear we will reach that point “peak phosphorus” in the space of a few decades, with a decisive impact on future food shortages, a serious threat that threatens increasing conflicts and wars.
“The element of the devil. Phosphorus and the precarious balance of the life cycleunderlines precisely this paradox of phosphorus: we consume ours more and more scarce reserves of extractable phosphorus rock, but at the same time we are polluting our waters with excessive doses of phosphorus, making them harmful to the environment and our health.