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Distillations

Using stories from science’s past to understand our world

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Dr. Butler and the Quest for the Philosophers’ Stone
Early Science & Alchemy

How searching for alchemy’s secrets helped create modern science.

Ode to the Periodic Table
Culture

Four elements in verse.

COVID’s Hidden Toll on Nurses
Pandemic Perspectives

“I just feel broken.”

Quacks, Plagues, and Pandemics
Pandemic Perspectives

What charlatans of the past can teach us about the COVID-19 crisis.

Bob Gore’s Cozy Revolution
Tools & Technology

Gore-Tex changed the way Americans spend time outdoors.

Leo Alexander’s Unflinching Pursuit
People

In the waning days of World War II, a psychiatrist raced across Germany to uncover the harrowing abuses of Nazi doctors.

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Recommended
A Recipe for Good Health
Health
John Harvey Kellogg’s Battle Creek Sanitarium was at the intersection of new ideas of religion, health, and nutrition.
Political Potions
Policy & Politics
In the late 19th century, a golden age for political caricature, images of alchemists in the workshop were neither academic nor obscure. 
How Philadelphia’s Water Pollution Problems Shaped the City
Environment
The way the city tackled its water pollution problems has made it an unexpected pioneer.  
The Ancient Chemistry Inside Your Taco
Culture
Dive into the world of nixtamalization, a chemical process that allowed the Mesoamerican empires to thrive and tacos to taste good.
The Healing Power of Compressed Yeast
Health
Health fads come and health fads go, though few were as downright odd as the 1920s’ and 1930s’ craze for yeast cakes.
Making Gemstones
Culture
How hard can it be to make a gemstone? Plenty hard. People have been trying for almost 2,000 years, but success finally beckoned in 19th-century France.
Distilled #3: Water Fit for a King
People
Eleanor Roosevelt thanks a chemical engineering firm in Philadelphia for manufacturing water for the king and queen of England on their visit to the United States.
Why the Chicken Became a Nugget and Other Tales of Processed Food
Health
Have you ever wondered how chicken nuggets are made?
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